The trial of six men accused of murdering senior finance official of the Gauteng Department of Health and whistle-blower Babita Deokaran was postponed due to the ill health of one of the defence. Deokaran was shot multiple times outside her complex in Mondeor, Johannesburg, after dropping off her child from school in 2021.
Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko and Siphakanyiswa Dladla made a brief appearance at the Johannesburg High Court yesterday.
The matter was postponed to the 7th of August due to the ill health of Advocate Menzi Simelane, representing one of the accused. The postponement will also give the defence an opportunity to finish going through the evidence the State intends relying on.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) recently urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to provide a plan to enhance the protection and support of whistleblowers.Outa's research manager Rachel Fischer said the government needs to improve the criminal justice system and ensure that efforts by whistle-blowers are not in vain by taking action against those found guilty of corruption at public institutions.
"We want assurance that the State Capture Commission report will not gather dust in the archives but will be used to prosecute corruption and rebuild our institutions. We want government to engage with citizens and civil society to find solutions," she said.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi admitted that Deokaran may have been killed for exposing how four prominent business families, including top ANC politician Sello Sekhokho, who obtained massive tenders from Tembisa hospital.
He said a preliminary Special Investigative Unit (SIU) report found a link between Deokaran's role in exposing 227 companies and her cold-blooded murder outside her home in the south of Joburg on August 23, 2021.
