Babita Deokaran’s family demands arrest of murder mastermind

Willem Phungula|Published 2 months ago

Members and supporters of the Active Citizens Movement (ACM) and other civil society organisations and individuals held a placard demonstration and a short conference, ‘Babita’s Long Walk For Justice’, to mark International Anti-Corruption Day. The ACM dedicated the day to the late whistleblower and called for justice for Babita in Durban on Sunday. | Rajesh Jantilal

Durban — The family of the murdered whistleblower, Babita Deokaran, has appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure that the mastermind behind Deokaran’s death is found.

Deokaran’s family, led by her brother Soorash Deokaran and her nephew Rene Harripersadh, made an impassioned plea to the president during the commemoration of her death which coincided with International Anti-Corruption Day, on Sunday.

The event was organised by a non-profit organisation, Active Citizens Movement. The family handed over a poster to the head of the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation, also kown as the Hawks, Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, with a message asking the president to help the family get the mastermind who allegedly hired the six hitmen who killed Deokaran.

The brother said the family felt let down by the state, which told him that it had struck a deal with suspects for the matter not to go to trial. The family thought the suspects had provided the name of the mastermind. He asked Lebeya what was difficult in finding the mastermind since the killers had been found, questioning the method used by investigators.

Hawks head Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya and Babita Deokaran’s brother, Soorash Deokaran. | Willem Phungula

“We do not understand why it is so difficult to find the mastermind. Police were supposed to have forced the suspects to tell who hired them to kill my sister. It is not understandable that after finding killers, which may have been difficult, they are failing to find out from the suspects who their master is,” said the brother.

The six men confessed to killing Deokaran but did not reveal in court the name of the person who had hired them to kill her. They were convicted and sentenced. Two were sentenced to 22 years while three others got 15 years and one six years.

Lebeya accepted the message for the president but said although he would pass it on to him, he was able to respond on behalf of the president since it was his responsibility to find the mastermind.

He vowed to continue the hunt.

With regard to the status of the case, Lebeya warned that he would not want to publicly say where his investigators were because the mastermind might hear that and go deeper into hiding, saying his team would privately update the family.

“The DPCI is steadfast in ensuring that investigations related to corruption and fraud in both the public and private sectors are prioritised and conducted with utmost efficiency. This commitment underscores the directorate’s dedication to swiftly addressing and dismantling corruption networks, ensuring that justice is served promptly and institutional integrity is preserved,” said Lebeya.

The event was also attended by chairperson of the standing committee on public accounts, Songezo Zibi, who called on the public to help the state fight corruption by not electing corrupt people to Parliament.

Deokaran, who was the finance officer at Thembisa Hospital, refused to approve dubious payments for a tender and called for an investigation. As a result, she was gunned down outside her Winchester home in Johannesburg in 2021.

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