the whistleblower who paid the ultimate price 

Remembering Babita Deokaran: the whistleblower who paid the ultimate price 

Mapaballo Borotho

• Babita Deokaran, a whistle-blower who exposed corruption in the Gauteng Health Department, was assassinated outside her home in 2021.
• Four years later, six men have been jailed for her murder, but the mastermind remains unknown.
• Her legacy continues to raise urgent questions about accountability and the protection of whistle-blowers in South Africa.

Saturday, 23 August 2025, marks four years since the tragic death of whistle-blower and public servant Babita Deokaran.

Deokaran was gunned down outside her home in Mondeor, Johannesburg, shortly after dropping off her children at school.

Her assassination sent shockwaves through the nation. She had uncovered a multi-million-rand tender scandal within the Gauteng Department of Health and at Tembisa Hospital, corruption many believe she was silenced for exposing.

Four years later, the question remains: Has justice truly been served, and has South Africa done enough to protect whistle-blowers?

In 2023, six men, Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko, and Siphakanyiswa Dladla pleaded guilty to her murder.

They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 22 years after reaching plea deals with the state.

Yet, for Deokaran’s family, this is not enough. Her brother has repeatedly said that justice will only be realised once the mastermind who ordered the hit is brought to book.

To this day, the identity of that mastermind remains unknown.

last month, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi linked a criminal syndicate to controversial tenderpreneur Vusimuzi Cat Matlala, whom Deokaran had flagged for fraud in 2021.

Over the past few months, Matlala has dominated headlines for fraud allegations, violent crimes, and high-level corruption.

His business dealings came under the spotlight after forensic audits connected his network to the Tembisa Hospital scandal, one of the largest corruption sagas in Gauteng’s health system, involving nearly R3 billion in allegedly fraudulent payments.

Matlala is currently in prison for separate charges, including the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, media personality Tebogo Thobejane.

On Friday, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation hosted a symposium in remembrance of Babita Deokaran.

Delegates raised concerns that, despite her revelations, no one from the Gauteng Health Department has been held accountable.

Speaking at the event, Professor Alex van den Heever from Wits University’s School of Governance, who has tracked irregular expenditure in the department since 2006, said Deokaran had simply been doing her job.

He stressed that she was betrayed by the very senior accounting officers who were meant to safeguard public funds.

Babita Deokaran’s sacrifice remains a symbol of the dangers faced by whistle-blowers in South Africa. Four years later, her story continues to highlight not only the cost of corruption but also the urgent need for accountability.

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