State Capture Witness and Ex UCT Lecturer Athol Williams Flees South Africa Due to Assassination Fears

• Athol Williams, previously an ethics lecturer at the University of Cape Town (UCT), has fled South Africa
• He was a whistleblower who named 39 parties in the State Capture Inquiry and now fears for his safety
• Babita Deokaran, who was also a state capture whistleblower, was recently assassinated and this is cited by Williams as one of his reasons for leaving

CAPE TOWN - Athol Williams, a former ethics lecturer at UCT, was a state capture whistleblower. He says that due to this he had to leave South Africa as he feared for his safety.

Williams maintains that he has not only been outspoken about state capture but also about other inequities he witnesses in South Africa. He left the country on 1 November, 2021.

"Knowing that my government offers me no protection after I've acted in the public interest is a disturbing reality. I implicated 39 parties in my testimony so threats could come from many places.

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"After receiving warnings from trusted allies and a civil society organisation about a coordinated effort against me, I took the sad step to leave home, again without any help," Williams said.

Williams speaks out, says university offered him "hush money"

According to News24, in June Williams claimed that he was offered hush money by UCT in an attempt to silence his questions about whether the institution had ties to companies who are allegedly involved in state capture.

These claims were denied by UCT, who alleged that they had attempted to address his concerns but that he continued to misrepresent the truth.

In a public statement, Williams declares his safety concerns following the recent assassination of fellow whistleblower Babita Deokaran. He says that her case shows that whistleblowers are not protected and makes him feel that his life is in danger, SABC News reports.

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Reactions to Williams fleeing

South Africans have tweeted their opinions about Athol Williams fleeing South Africa.

@flex_sa1 said:

"Whistle blowers aren't safe in this country."

@ClasycMan shared:

"We know who’s he running away from."

@MyANClives asked:

"Who is forcing him to leave?"

@Magagasssssssss said:

"Oh stop it wena, you would have said it already."

Arthur Fraser says Raymond Zondo is not fit for Chief Justice position

Previously, Briefly News reported that Arthur Fraser, the former National Commissioner of Correctional Services, has opposed Raymond Zondo's nomination to be the next Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.

Fraser raised his objection to the nomination in a letter written to former judge, Navi Pillay, who currently chairs the panel that will be shortlisting candidates for President Cyril Ramaphosa to pick for the vacancy.

Fraser based his objection on Zondo's term as the chair of the State Capture Commission, highlighting that Zondo shows a lack of the necessary judicial independence.

Source: Briefly News