Chuck Stephens: Sleeping with a loaded gun…

Activist and creator Chuck Stephens of the Desmond Tutu Centre for Management sleeps with a loaded gun as he endures years of vengeful persecution since he blew the whistle on corruption in 2011. In this interview with BizNews, he describes what occurred after he reported “unfriendly activity” within the Community Work Programme in Mpumalanga. “I’m a blueprint. And I factor in Babita Deokaran (The Division of Effectively being whistleblower who became once murdered). And I peek what occurred to (Alexei) Navalny (the opposition politician murdered) in Russia…Indirectly, if of us hate you ample and as well they’ve obtained energy, they’re going to sequester you and as well they’re going to hang you out. And that’s what I’m going by now.”

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Relevant timestamps from the interview

• 00:28 – The corruption he blew the whistle on
• 05:06 – The protection voice
• 09:07 – The ruling
• 11:11 – Being arrested
• 16:17 – Accused of harassment
• 17:13 – A feeble tenant
• 24:37 – Fearing for his life
• 26:43 – Conclusion

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Highlights from the interview ___STEADY_PAYWALL___

Activist and creator Chuck Stephens of the Desmond Tutu Centre for Management sleeps with a loaded gun as he endures years of vengeful persecution since he blew the whistle on corruption in 2011.

In this interview with BizNews, he describes what occurred after he reported “unfriendly activity” within the Community Work Programme in Mpumalanga.

“I attain wretchedness for my life. I sleep with a loaded gun beside my mattress. And one evening in, I judge it became once 2019 if I consider because it’ll be, or 2020, there became once a fracture in my home and as well they obtained by home windows and obtained by locked doorways within the internal and were coming down the hall in opposition to my bedroom. But I fortuitously woke up, stepped into the hall and shot the man appropriate within the face. It’s an air gun, didn’t abolish him, nonetheless will must enjoy damage lovely imperfect because they appropriate took off.

Read Extra: BizNews’ better of 2023: SAPS Whistleblower Patricia Morgan-Mashale

“…nicely, it’s South Africa…nonetheless this isn’t the advert hoc hit-and-shuffle style crime. I’m a blueprint. Okay. And I factor in Babita Deokaran (The Division of Effectively being whistleblower who became once murdered). And I peek what occurred to (Alexei) Navalny (the opposition politician murdered) in Russia…

“Indirectly, if of us hate you ample and as well they’ve obtained energy, they’re going to sequester you and as well they’re going to hang you out. And that’s what I’m going by now.”

Stephens relates how – on the age of 70 – he caught COVID after being arrested and left in an overcrowded cell for 3 nights.

“That very same weekend that I became once within the lock-up, COVID became once moved from level three as much as to level four. So it became once appropriate within the center of the COVID pandemic. And after I went into the lock-up, there had been 13 diversified men already on this one-room cell. We had to sleep together, we had to spend together, we had to shower together, you respect, etc for the three days that I became once held. Three of them were exhibiting COVID symptoms and being treated by the govt. health facility, which is acceptable throughout the avenue from the police space.

“We were 17 of us by the quit of the weekend because just a few extra of us were brought in after me. I caught COVID. I’m able to envision that with a laboratory list, now not a brief take a look at, a proper lab list. We enjoy sued the Minister of Police for unlawful arrest, quantity one, and quantity two, for tried homicide.”

After that arrest, Stephens had to put up bail, and appear in court docket five occasions sooner than the Bid Prosecutor withdrew the costs two months later.

Per Stephens, an reliable within the Premier’s Place of work has misled the police and the court docket to form a Security Picture in opposition to him, and has broken-down it to hang a look for at and solve civil disputes or leverage legal situations.

He adds that this reliable is furthermore a non secular leader?  “His day job is in govt nonetheless on weekends he is a man of the cloth.  Historic past is repeating itself.  The ‘legitimate’ non secular leaders are synergizing with the political rulers to hang a look for at to facet-line an iconoclast.  A whistle-blower.  A foreigner.  A change agent.  A missionary,” he writes in a letter to BizNews.

“Whistleblowing is viewed as a vice. It’s viewed you’re a snitch, you respect, you’re despised. And I realize throughout the War why this became once since it became once now not a if truth be told democratic regime lend a hand then, you respect. But now within the period of democracy, you respect, we’re going to have the flexibility to enjoy to aloof champion whistleblowing. We prefer of us to reach ahead when there’s crime to be reported. Whistleblowing is correct citizenship in a democracy. And sadly, that’s now not the blueprint in which of us enjoy viewed it right here,” he says within the interview.

He remembers how the first punishment for him for talking out became once being sidelined from his role within the Provincial Imposing Company of the CWP, and having his NGO starved of belongings.

“We were then pushed out further and further and further. You perceive, rating of admire (Russian modern Leon) Trotsky became once pushed further and further and further away by (Russian leader Vladimir) Lenin…till he ended up within the prison in Mexico and as well they came and as well they shot him within the prison in Mexico. You perceive, nonetheless that’s the blueprint in which I internet…”

Read furthermore:

• SAPS whistleblower’s kids traumatised by threats from man procuring for their mom
• Solly Moeng exposes South Africa’s exodus: Athol Williams and whistleblowers rating away corruption threats
• Highly efficient of us are using Bid money to silence us – whistleblower Lehloma Ramajoe

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