Cape Town - Magda Wierzycka, the founder and head of fintech firm Sygnia, has offered the former CEO of Trillian Management Consulting turned whistleblower, Bianca Goodson, a job.
Goodson last week leaked a trove of documents about the Gupta-linked firm where she used to work to the website of the Platform for the Protection of Whistleblowers in Africa, or Pplaaf.
As investigative journalism outfit Scorpio reported earlier on Tuesday, Goodson has now parted ways with her new employer Sage after offering to resign.
In an interview on the Money Show with Bruce Whitfield on 702 and CapeTalk on Tuesday evening, Wierzycka said “people need to know they are safe and protected” when they turn whistleblowers.
“She is one of South Africa’s heroes,” she said, adding that “all whistleblowers in South Africa, given the space we find ourselves in, in terms of corruption, should be celebrated as heroes”.
"I decided she would be an absolute asset to Sygnia, that is why I hired her,” she said.
Wierzycka, whose company Sygnia was one of the first to cut its ties with KPMG SA over its links to the Gupta-family, said that after leaving Trillian Capital Partners, Goodson was employed by Sage.
She said that Sage knew of Goodson’s past work for Trillian.
Wierzycka said that, when Goodson leaked the documents to Pplaaf, she notified her employer and offered to resign.
"Any honourable company would have said, Bianca, we have your back,” Wierzycka told Whitfield.
A spokesperson for Sage said in response for comment: “We have a duty of care for all colleagues so do not comment on individual cases. We are currently reviewing it internally.”
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