A report by the Institute of Internal Auditors of SA has painted a bleak picture of the safety and security of the country’s internal auditors, with at least 18% claiming they had experienced victimisation and intimidation. The Mercury says the report, ‘Plight of Internal Auditors’ – released by the institute in May – found that one out of five internal auditors feared reprisals for exposing questionable activities. According to the institute’s Claudelle von Eck, it had received numerous verbal reports from internal auditors over the past number of years claiming that they were being victimised, intimidated and coerced into sweeping findings under the carpet. Meanwhile, many said they lived in fear of losing their jobs, with some even fearing losing their lives. ‘While the majority of complaints have come from internal auditors in the public sector, the fact that the veil had largely been lifted on private sector corruption pointed to the necessity to include the private sector in the study.’ The study found that out of the 349 internal auditors from both the public and private sector who participated in the survey, 18% indicated that they feared for their lives and their families if they were to report questionable activities.