Six men accused of killing Babita Deokaran likely to enter plea agreement and avoid trial

The case against six men accused of the murder of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran has been postponed to 22 August.

Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko and Siphakanyiswa Dladla made a brief appearance in the high court in Johannesburg on Tuesday to start their trial.  

They have been remanded in custody until their next appearance.

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Court proceedings

State prosecutor Steven Reuben asked the court for the postponement to allow the parties to finalise their plea agreement and sentence agreements.

This effectively means accused will not get their day in court and the matter will not go to trial.

Deokaran’s brother Rakesh, who was in court, told News24 that despite the numerous postponements, the family still believed that justice would be served.

“We can’t wait to see the plea,” he said.

Deokaran was shot several times outside her complex in Mondeor, south of Johannesburg, on 23 August 2021 after flagging corruption in the Gauteng health department’s procurement of Covid personal protective equipment (PPE) to the value of R332 million.

She was also a key witness in several corruption investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) related to the procurement in the province.

ALSO READ: Babita Deokaran murder: Implicated ‘tender don’ family trust owns property worth millions – report

Murder

The 53-year-old was the acting chief financial officer at the Gauteng department of health and was shot shortly after dropping her child at school in what is believed to be a hit.

Deokaran’s killing prompted calls for the protection of whistle-blowers in the fight against corruption in South Africa after it emerged that she had informed her superiors about threats that she received on her life, but nothing was done to protect her.

SIU probe

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised a SIU probe into alleged corruption networks involving R1 billion at Tembisa Hospital.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa signed the proclamation last week, nearly two years after Deokaran was gunned down.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health Jack Bloom welcomed the proclamation by Ramaphosa.

“I hope the SIU investigation extends to other hospitals, as the fishy companies that got contracts from Tembisa Hospital got contracts at other hospitals as well.

“The SIU needs to investigate the corruption networks without fear or favour. I suspect that rotten officials in the Gauteng Health Department receive high-level political protection which needs to be exposed and ended,” Bloom said.

Bloom added the delay in signing the proclamation is unfortunate.

“We need to see speedy justice for the murder of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran who tried to stop the suspicious payments at Tembisa Hospital,” he said.

ALSO READ: SIU welcomes suspension of Tembisa Hospital officials accused of corruption