Will We Ever See Justice For Babita Deokaran?

August 23, 2024, marked a sinister milestone: Three years since Gauteng Department of Health whistle-blower Babita Deokaran was assassinated, shot multiple times as she arrived home after dropping her daughter at school.

At the time, she had red-flagged “possibly fraudulent transactions” at Tembisa Hospital amounting to around R850 million. Special Investigations Unit (SIU) boss, Andy Mothibi, recently announced they had broadened the scope of its probe, started by Babita’s discoveries, to an incredible 5 000 transactions, worth in the region of a staggering R3 billion.

This is almost five times the list of 1 203 payments that Babita originally identified, which led to her impassioned request for an urgent investigation and an immediate stop to payments. Tragically, nothing was done, and the money was released after her murder.

As things stand right now, the investigation into the depths of the rot at Tembisa hospital is ongoing, and addition concerns have been raised about similar corrupt activities happening at other hospitals.

In stark contrast, the investigation into Babita’s murder appears to have gone cold. In fact, recent newspaper reports hint that the Hawks have “all but shelved” the probe into who ordered her death. The police have no leads, and things have been downgraded from an active investigation to an enquiry.

To say this is disappointing is an understatement, as investigations initially resulted in the High Court of South Africa sentencing six men to jail terms ranging from six to 22 years, following an agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority. It was a promising start, and all indications were that it would lead to further arrests and prosecutions.

My understanding is that the men received more lenient sentences in exchange for naming Khanyisani Mpungose as the man who recruited them. This turned out to quite literally be a dead end, as Mpungose was found murdered just two months after Babita. Puzzlingly, he had been arrested in connection with her murder but later released without charge.

Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo says that “No other suspects have been brought to book [but we are] not ruling out the possibility of more arrests.”

Forgive me if that doesn’t fill me with optimism. We should remember that the SAPS has a murder detection rate of just 14%, and only one in 10 murder cases are ever solved.

I can only imagine at how frustrating and upsetting this glaring lack of progress must be for Babita’s family.

Her sister, Renu Williams, has spoken to the press about how her family’s hope for any accountability has waned as a result of the police’s inaction.

“Three years ago, we were positive that our loved one would get justice,” she said. “Babita lost her life for doing her job as an ethical and honest employee of the State. We assumed no stone would be left unturned. This has not been the case at all.”

The impression given by the family is that the misconception by law enforcement is because the hitmen responsible for carrying out the killing have been imprisoned, there is nothing more that needs to be done.

“It is unacceptable that the mastermind of this crime has been walking free for the past 3 years,” she said. “Those six did not hire themselves. We have had absolutely no feedback from anyone in law enforcement for over a year. Whether they are still working on the case or not, we are not aware as we are completely in the dark.

“[Babita] lost her life, but corruption has not ended. The thieves who benefitted from what she tried to stop are living their lives and probably feel they’ve gotten away with it. The only people who are hurting and suffering are her loved ones. We always wonder what she sacrificed her precious, beautiful life for, because nothing has changed.”

This is particularly frustrating when you read news reports, such as one by News24, that tell of email and phone evidence they obtained being seized by the police on the day of Babita’s murder, but was never analysed or processed. Instead, it languished for months in a dusty evidence store.

This is crucial information that could have provided clues to those behind the assassination. According to articles, text exchanges on Babita’s phone spoke of her concern that blocking payments to “the Tembisa guys” might place a target on her back. 

None of these messages appear to ever have been investigated by Detective Percy Chauke, who was nevertheless promoted after his handling of the matter.

The Hawks have steadfastly denied the investigation was mishandled, but Babita’s family are not the only ones lamenting the lack of progress and results.

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) said in a recent statement, “[We are] displeased by the reports that the police have not made any progress in arresting the masterminds behind Babita Deokaran’s murder.

“Leaving [them] roaming is not a disincentive to other murderers out there. Many could venture into killing people because they can get away with it. It worries us that they may never be found and held accountable.”

And, in an article in Wits Vuvuzela, Ruby Hunt says civil society as a whole “slams an uncaring government” for not working harder to find the murder masterminds. She says that the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, OUTA, and other civil society organisations “continue the search for justice for Babita Deokaran’s assassination, while politicians dither and delay.”

Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Executive director, Neeshan Balton, expressed his disappointment at the government’s response, saying, “I don’t even think any senior Gauteng official met with her family. The Gauteng provincial government has just been…unconcerned.”

He added that although he feels SIU has been “exemplary” in its investigation, “most officials involved in the case have made promises but kept none of them.”

Bishop Tony Haripersadh, Deokaran’s brother-in-law, added his voice at a memorial for Babita on the anniversary of her murder.

“Those six people that are serving their sentences were just the ones that carried out the hit,” he said, “but the person, the mastermind behind this has not yet been apprehended and it is a sad thing for us.

“Much of it has been talk with no action. We cannot see anything tangible. We hear a lot of things, but when it comes to practice, I don’t think there is a lot of protection and promotion of whistle-blowers, and they have families as well.”

There is, perhaps, one positive thing to mention in this otherwise depressing tale.

Babita’s daughter, Thiara, matriculated with five distinctions and an 82% aggregate at the end of last year, and is now studying a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Thiara’s uncle, Rakesh Deokaran, says Babita’s main message to her daughter, nieces and nephews was always about the importance of having a good education.

He added Thiara has been extremely resilient – which is just what her mother would have wanted.

My hope now is that, despite discouraging evidence to the contrary, continued efforts by Babita’s family and others will motivate South African law enforcement not to give up their quest to deliver what they want most - justice for her murder.