By Rachel Mohamed
South Africa is seeing a rise in murders targeting anti-corruption activists, including lawyers, whistleblowers, investigators, auditors, and journalists. The Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) has expressed deep concern over the recent killing of lawyer Bouwer van Niekerk, who was shot last Friday, allegedly due to his investigative work.
Speaking to VOC News, Nkosana Mvundlela, President of the LSSA, extended his condolences to van Niekerk’s family, friends, and colleagues in the legal profession.
“Society must reach a point where we recognize the role of each profession within its own context, and we must respect and value the fact that every lawyer, doctor, auditor, or accountant works within the legal framework.” To that end, we cannot tolerate any conduct that implies that any member of the profession, particularly lawyers in this case, is afraid of doing their job. They must do their work mindful of their security and of the fact that they are not committing any offences in doing their work,” Mvundlela said.
Listen to the full interview:
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
