JOHANNESBURG - Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says that there has been extensive discussion on keeping Madlanga Commission witnesses safe.
Additionally, he says they are committed to engaging media leadership to explore ways of protecting witnesses and not to unreasonably and unfairly expose them to those who may seek to harm them.
It follows the murder of Marius van der Merwe, aka witness D, outside his home in Brakpan.
READ| Madlanga Commission offered Witness D protection - Kubayi
Beyond witness safety of witnesses, Magwenya says it is also moving to strengthen protections for whistleblowers broadly.
This will be possible through the Protected Disclosure Bill, which is currently undergoing technical consultations within government before being submitted to Cabinet.
“It covers a couple of areas. One, it covers all spheres of government in terms of obligations with time frames around dealing with whistleblower information. Number two, the bill proposes the role of a retired judge to oversee the levels of compliance with that process,” he explains.