Download Policy Document

Commitment to Protect

  • Nkangala District Municipality is committed to integrity and ethical behaviour by helping to foster and maintain an environment where employees, councilors and stakeholders can act appropriately, without fear of retaliation. To maintain these standards, Nkangala District Municipality encourages its employees, councilors and stakeholders who have concerns about suspected serious misconduct or any breach or suspected breach of law or regulation that may adversely impact the municipality, to come forward and express these concerns without fear of punishment or unfair treatment.
  • Nkangala District Municipality conducts business based on the principles of fairness, honesty, openness, decency, integrity and respect. It is the policy of Nkangala District Municipality to support and encourage its employees, councilors, the community and other stake-holders to report and disclose improper or illegal activities, and for the Municipality to fully investigate such reports and disclosures.
  • It is also the policy of Nkangala District Municipality to address any complaints that allege acts or attempted acts of interference, reprisal, retaliation, threats, coercion or intimidation against employees who report, disclose or investigate improper or illegal activities (the “Whistleblowers”) and to protect those who come forward to report such activities.
  • Nkangala District Municipality assures that all reports will be treated strictly confidentially and promptly investigated and that reports can be made anonymously, if desired. 
  • Nkangala District Municipality is committed to the fight against fraud and corruption whether the perpetrators are internal or external. The Whistle-blowing policy and procedures is part of the Municipality’s commitment to working towards a culture of openness and transparency.  It could be added that confidentiality will be maintained, and that nobody will be penalized for disclosing in good faith, information that might be in the Municipality’s interest. 

 

Assurance to Whistle Blowers.

  • Whistle blowers safety

    The Municipality is committed to the enforcement of this policy by ensuring that any member of staff or councilors who makes disclosure in the above mentioned circumstances will not be penalized or suffer any occupational detriment for doing so.

    Occupational detriment as defined by Protected Disclosure Act includes being dismissed, suspended, demoted, transferred against your will, harassed or intimidated, refused a reference or being provided with an adverse reference, as a results of your disclosure.

    If you raise a concern in good faith in terms of this policy, you will not be at risk of losing your job or suffering any form of retribution as a result.

    This assurance is not extended to employees and councillors who maliciously raise matters they know to be untrue. A member of staff who does  not act in good faith or who makes an allegation without having reasonable grounds for believing it to be substantially true, or who makes it maliciously, may be subjected to disciplinary proceedings.

    Whistle blowers confidence

    In the view of the protection offered to a member of staff raising a bona fide concern, it is encouraged that the individual puts his/her name to the disclosure. Nkangala District Municipality will not tolerate the harassment or victimization of anyone raising a genuine concern.

    However, it is permissible that you may nonetheless wish to raise a concern in confidence under this policy. If you ask us to protect your identity by keeping your confidence, we will not disclose it without your consent. However we do expect the same confidentiality regarding the matter from you.