In an explosive introduction to the 24th edition of the Time of the Writer festival, whistle-blowing on corruption will take centre stage in a series of hot topics to be debated by some of the country’s top writers next month.
The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) will present the Time of the Writer festival from 15 to 21 March 2021. The theme is, “The Writer: Whistleblower, Canary in the Mine or Testifier” – drawing inspiration from a quote in an essay written by author Daisy Hernández.
Hernández wrote, “While it may well be that no book has ever prevented genocide or fascism, we still have a necessity for literature to testify to the political conditions of our lives – not only so that we might have a record of those we have lost, but also that we might have a reason to gather with others to read and to continue resisting.”.
Director of the Centre for Creative Arts at UKZN, Ismail Mahomed said it was an opportune time to bring together some of South Africa’s leading authors who have written about crime and corruption, to reflect on whether the Protected Disclosures Act had contributed effectively to combating corruption and “also about whether the Act has provided effective protection for whistleblowers,” Mahomed said.
The Protected Disclosures Act, No 26 of 2000, came into effect on February 16, 2001. It provides protection for employees against occupational detriment as a result of having disclosed irregular conduct in their workplace.
A panel moderated by ace journalist of the Daily Maverick, Marianne Thamm will unpack the statement written by Daisy Hernández in a webinar with South African authors Athol Williams, Brent Meersman, Mandy Wiener and Themba Maseko on Monday March 15, 2021 at 7pm.
Poet and novelist, Athol Williams, has survived the classic punitive marginalisation inflicted on whistleblowers. He is due to testify about global management consulting firm Bain & Company’s role in State Capture at the Zondo Commission.
Brent Meersman is the co-editor of GroundUp and has chaired the Cape Town Press Club since 2013. His book, Rattling the Cage, takes the reader on an informed tour of the South African reality with essays that provide critical perspectives and insights into South Africa’s recent past and current political, economic and social undercurrents.
Mandy Wiener is one of the country’s best known and most credible journalists and authors. She worked as a multi-award-winning reporter with Eyewitness News from 2004 until 2014, filing reports for Talk Radio 702, 567 Cape Talk, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and Kfm radio stations.
Wiener specialises in investigative reporting and legal matters, having extensively covered both the corruption trial of former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi and the Brett Kebble murder trial.
Themba Maseko is the Communications Director of Black Leadership South Africa and the former Director-General for Public Service and Administration. His testimony accused Jacob Zuma of lying during his first appearance at the State Capture Inquiry in July.
“The series of hot topics at this year’s Time of the Writer Festival covers subjects such as whistle-blowing, migration, decolonisation, sexual identity and gender-based violence but there are also several more light-hearted discussions with authors that will give us a deeper insight into our society and our times,” said co-curator of the festival, Siphindile Hlongwa.
The Time of the Writer is one of the largest and longest-running literature festivals in Africa. Over the years, it has hosted a wide variety of internationally-acclaimed thought leaders such as Zakes Mda and NoViolet Bulawayo, and others from all over the world, with the focus on Africa.
Time of the Writer is made possible through partnerships with the KZN Department of Sports, Arts & Culture, Amazwi South African Museum of Literature, the French Institute of South Africa, Imbiza Journal of African Writing, the STAND Foundation and the Foundation for Human Rights.
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