Babita Deokaran: Whistle-blower’s efforts to uncover corruption not in vain, says SIU

Three years after the assassination of Gauteng financial accounting officer Babita Deokaran, Special Investigating Unit (SIU) boss Andy Mothibi said her efforts to uncover corrupt activities were not in vain and that investigations are at an advanced stage.

At 8.24am on 23 August 2021, hitmen pumped 12 bullets into the 53-year-old Gauteng health acting chief financial officer outside her complex in the south of Johannesburg shortly after dropping her child at school.

‘Efforts not in vain’

Deokaran had flagged corruption in the department’s procurement of Covid personal protective equipment (PPE) to the tune of R332 million.

Mothibi told 702 that Deokaran’s evidence has assisted the SIU’s investigation.

He said the SIU had broadened the scope of its Tembisa Hospital graft probe, set in motion by Deokaran, to a mammoth 5 500 transactions worth as much as R3 billion.

This represents a 250% escalation from the R850 million in “possibly fraudulent transactions” she flagged and reported three weeks before her murder, News24 reported.

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“Her efforts were not in vain. We have now uncovered that her evidence assisted us in coming up with the identification of instances where the officials were circumventing procurement and abusing quotation systems.

“The investigating team gave me an update about 5 314 purchase orders that were identified relating to more than 170 service providers. So what are we going to do? We are going to immediately go to the Special Tribunal and go after these service providers to make sure we recover the money,” Mothibi said.

Mothbi added that the SIU has traced the money.

Investigations into Deokaran shooting

“We know what these syndicated individuals have done with these monies; purchased luxury assets like houses and cars, which we will be going after immediately.

“We are really pleased to see that the Gauteng government has already acted on some of the officials. There were disciplinary actions against five Tembisa hospital employees, and quite senior employees and the CEO were also in the process of facing disciplinary action. He was also suspended. Unfortunately, he has now since passed on but the others that are left will face consequences, both from employee relations perspectives and they will be pursued criminally,” Mothibi said.

Mothibi said they will work with the National Prosecuting Authority, adding that the Hawks are also probing the matter.

“We will make sure we support them, so that all of these people are prosecuted and that everyone is held to account.

“With regards to the criminal investigation of the people who shot Babita, I have the information that the investigation is at an advanced stage,” Mothibi said.

Convictions

In August last year, six men convicted for Deokaran’s murder admitted they were recruited to assassinate her because she “created problems at work” and had to be “dealt with”.

Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko and Siphakanyiswa Dladla appeared in the High Court in Johannesburg before Judge Motsamai Makume.

They pleaded guilty to Deokaran’s murder and were sentenced to between six and 22 years in prison in a plea sentence agreement.

All accused were convicted of the murder of Deokoran under the principle of dolus eventualis and conceded that they foresaw the possibility that their actions could lead to the death of Deokoran or any other person, but reconciled themselves with such possibility when they continued to act in furtherance of a common purpose to execute the hatched plan to kill Deokoran.

It is unclear who ordered the hit, but there are calls for those behind her murder to be brought to book.

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