By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Department of Health official and whistle-blower Babita Deokaran, the six men accused of her murder pleaded guilty to all charges and have received differentiated sentencing to effective imprisonment based on the role each played, ranging from six to 22 years.
Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko and Siphakanyiswa Dladla are appeared in the high court in Johannesburg on Tuesday to start their trial.
Delivering the judgment in the High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Judge Motsamai Makume said he hoped the sentences would rehabilitate the convicts before their return to society.
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.
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.
NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane told the media that the state believes the mastermind of the assassination is still at large though they are not known to the state or the accused before the court.
“Investigations will be ongoing because we believe that justice can only be served once we get to the bottom of Babita losing her life for being a whistle-blower against corruption. The sentence that was handed down by the court considered the seriousness of the offence, the interest of the community and the personal circumstances of the accused as dictated by the law. The court has agreed with both the state and the defence that in this case there were substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence… Although the law sets out the minimum prescribed sentence, courts will from time to time deviate from such sentences should there be the existence of circumstances that warrant such deviations.”
Post the court setting, Rakesh Deokaran, brother to the deceased said;
“It makes me sick to my stomach. Yes, fair enough, they did get a sentence but they showed absolutely no conscience or remorse whatsoever. The other sad part is five out of six of all the accused have little kids. Did they not think about what they were doing? Irrespective that they did not even know the person from above. But to murder her in such a cold and calculative way is just sickening to my stomach.”
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Executive Director Neeshan Balton welcomed the sentencing of the six but said the mastermind behind the hit has still not been arrested.
“I think justice would revolve around knowing who paid the accused to undertake the work and whether the people who paid the killers will be arrested themselves and possibly have to face a more severe punishment.”
“We are happy that they pleaded guilty, and we don’t know if the agreement indicates who paid them to do the assassination, and if that’s not part of the plea agreement, then I think it will have major shortcomings.”