WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-06-28 Time: 13:00:09 Posted By: Jan
By Clayton Barnes
A year after blowing the lid on corruption at the Land Bank involving billions of rands, the whistleblower in the case is living in fear after he and his family were kicked off the witness protection programme.
Speaking at a secret location this week, the main witness, who asked not to be named, told Weekend Argus he stood for the truth and gave the government information in good faith. All he wanted in return was to be treated with dignity and respect.
The man, from a small town in KwaZulu-Natal, gave information on corrupt senior Land Bank officials for allegedly approving loans for developments that had nothing to do with the agricultural bank’s mandate.
Most of the information supplied to the Scorpions claimed that the Land Bank members had allegedly financed loans for private housing developments and golf estates worth billions instead of financing poor farmers, for whom the money was meant.
The main witness was one of several whose evidence was used in a forensic report compiled by Deloitte & Touche.
But just weeks after the report was handed to the Scorpions and the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Lulu Xingwana, the whistleblower, his wife and son, aged eight, and daughter, aged two, were kicked off the witness protection programme without a cent and nowhere to go.
He said their witness protection “handler” told him just one week before Christmas last year that he and his family were no longer needed as witnesses and that they had five hours to decide where in the country they could be moved to.
“We had nowhere to go, no money and two young children to care for,” he said.
“We were shattered and couldn’t believe that after helping the government and speaking out on corruption we would be treated like this. Was that the price for being honest?
“Our two children suffer the most,” the man’s wife said
Still fearful of being traced by those implicated, the family has to lead a life of secrecy.
They don’t have bank accounts, ID documents, or a car.
The family was given an allowance of R1 260 a month for food while other basic costs, including medical aid and school fees, were covered by the state.
The whistleblower warned South Africans to think long and hard before signing up for witness protection.
“This, however, should not stop people from speaking out against corruption and corrupt officials.”
The couple intend filing papers against the justice department. They also have lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission, which is investigating their claims, and they have recently started writing a book about their ordeal with a working title As God is My Witness.
Meanwhile, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority Tlali Tlali says the case remains a “subject matter” for the Directorate of Special Operations – the Scorpions.
He said the decision to place any person on to the programme was informed by factors that included whether or not they were witnesses and whether there was a risk element.
“The witness protection programme is a sensitive area in law enforcement,” said Tlali.
“Everyone who gets placed on the programme is provided with sufficient information beforehand in order that they may decide whether to be part of the programme or not. It would be inappropriate to provide details on how witnesses exit the programme.”
He declined to give any further information on the case.