Roger Jardine on whistleblowers, Talking to Strangers and The March of the Folly

When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited South Africa earlier this month she told students at the University of Pretoria that the youth should stand up against corruption and “name names” and added that they would be surprised how people would come forward and support them. If it wasn’t for the whistleblowers who came forward to tell the stories of state capture like Cynthia Stimpel and others; South Africa could still have been in the dark about many of the dodgy deals that happened under former President Zuma’s watch. Many lost their jobs and talked about the severe stress they experienced when they decided to point fingers. In a discussion with Biznews Founder Alec Hogg, the chairman of First Rand, Roger Jardine talks about a book he is reading by Tom Mueller, Whistleblowing in an age of Fraud and suggests that whistleblowers should not only enjoy better protection, but that they should receive incentives to come forward in South Africa. The other book under discussion that Jardine links to, is Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Outliers latest book Talking to Strangers and he has a recommendation for all policy makers, The March of Folly. - Linda van Tilburg