Babita Deokaran murder: No water at court leads to postponement of bail application judgment

Judgment in the bail application of the six men accused of killing Gauteng health department whistleblower, Babita Deokaran, has been postponed due to a lack of water at the courts.

The bail application judgment will now take place on 30 November.

The six suspects – Phakamani Radebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Siphakanyiswa Dladla, Simphiwe Mazibuko and Sanele Mbele – are facing charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and attempted murder.

The suspects are suspected to be hired hands.

They are also facing a charge of attempted murder relating to Deokaran’s domestic helper, who was with the whistleblower at the time of the shooting.

ALSO READ: ‘Confessions’: suspects detail how they stalked, shot Deokaran

Deokaran was shot outside her home in Mondeor, south of Johannesburg, in August in what appears to have been a hit.

Nothing was stolen and Deokaran, who was the acting Chief Financial Officer for the Gauteng Department of Health, was a key witness in the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU’s) probe into a R300 million personal protective equipment (PPE) tender.

During the bail application, one of the suspects pointed the finger at former health minister, Zweli Mkhize, as the mastermind of the assassination.

But he later withdrew his confession, saying it was made under duress and he only told cops what they wanted to hear.

NOW READ: Babita Deokaran murder suspect fingered Zweli Mkhize in disputed confession