AfriLeaks is a partnership between 19 newspapers and activist groups which want to make it easier and safer for people to confidentially provide sensitive information directly to media organisations.
South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper is among the organisations involved.
Associate Editor Phillip de Wet said potential whistleblowers would be required to download software that hides their anonymity online.
"Once they've done that, they can go to the AfriLeaks website and provide the information," he said.
"It's a very simple form that you fill in. It's entirely anonymous, no names involved whatsoever."
Mr de Wet said whistleblowers can select which organisations they'd like to send the information to.
Unlike other whistleblowing websites like WikiLeaks, Mr de Wet said AfriLeaks does not allow for the public viewing of information.
"What AfriLeaks provides is a conduit, a mechanism for people to talk to journalists, to news organisations pretty much directly," he said.
"So what we're doing is not providing a platform for anyone to publish anything."
He conceded that countries which tightly control the internet use of citizens might be harder to get information from.
"Governments will still be able to track whether people are downloading the TOR browser (software) - there's not a great deal we can do about that," he said.
"For people who are under constant surveillance already, there's virtually no safe digital way for them to provide information to any newspaper."
But for most people, Mr de Wet said the website would be able to protect their anonymity.
"What we're trying to target here are people who are afraid of the repercussions of the information that they may have - not necessarily from governments, from their employers, from non-governmental actors, extremist groups say, or people who are worried that subsequent publication may lead to a witch hunt of sorts," he said.
