Emfuleni whistleblower assassination triggers outrage and calls for protection

The Vaal Business Corporation warns that the Emfuleni Local Municipality has been plagued by years of corruption and wrongdoing, asserting that the situation has worsened as service delivery continues to decline.

The organisation’s statement follows the assassination-style killing of the municipality’s acting accountant, Martha Rantsofu, last month.

CCTV footage of the incident has since surfaced online, triggering widespread outrage across the community.

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The corporation’s CEO, Klippies Kritzinger, stated he believes without doubt that the victim was a whistleblower. He described Rantsofu, who was laid to rest over the weekend, as a professional and dedicated public servant.

Kritzinger revealed that he met with Rantsofu weeks before her death to discuss a suspicious payment that did not reflect in the municipality’s bank accounts. The matter has since been referred to the Hawks for further investigation.

According to Kritzinger, Rantsofu, a senior clerk in Emfuleni’s finance and revenue department, uncovered a scheme where municipal employees allegedly erased debt in exchange for bribes.

"I had to, in the past, get a protection order against a senior manager in Emfuleni that really threatened me and in direct words: 'You will die.'"

Kritzinger confirmed that one implicated employee has already been dismissed for misconduct linked to the scheme.

He is now calling for enhanced protection for whistleblowers to prevent further violence.

In response to the outcry, the Emfuleni Municipality has warned against speculating on the motive for the murder while the Political Killings Task Team continues its investigation.

The municipality specifically denied claims linking Rantsofu to whistleblowing regarding a R16 million tender, dismissing the allegations as false and unrelated to her.