Biography
Babita Deokaran (born 1968; died August 2021) was an Indian-origin South African public servant. She served as a senior official within the Gauteng Provincial Government Department of Health.
Some gunmen assassinated her while she sat in her car outside her home in August 2021. She had dropped her daughter at school when the assassins came for her. They fired many shots at her car and hit her in the process.
There are many controversies surrounding her death. She was reportedly a witness in a corruption investigation.
Babita Deokaran  | ||
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| Quick Facts | ||
| Background Information | ||
| Full Name: | Babita Deokaran | |
| Born: | 1968 | |
| Died: | August 23, 2021 (age 53 years) | |
| Origin: | India | |
| Nationality: | South African | |
| Assassination Facts | ||
| Cause of Death: | Shooting | |
| Venue: | Outside of Victim’s home | |
| Date: | August 23, 2021 | |
| Time: | around 08:00 SAST | |
| Deaths: | 1 | |
| Arrests: | 6 | |
| Suspects: | Nhlanganiso Ndlovu Siphakanyisa Dladla Zitha Radebe Simphiwe Mazibuko Sanele Mbele Phakamani Radebe | |
Early Life
Babita Deokaran was born in 1968 and is from India. She has seven siblings.
Career
Deokaran served as Chief Financial Officer at the Gauteng Provincial Government Department of Health. Reports linked her death to a corrupt COVID-19 PPE procurement scandal.
She was a witness in the investigation of corrupt practices within the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health worth R332 million.
Her testimony would expose a syndicate set up linked to the corruption. Before her murder, Babita was on special leave.Â
Assassination
Babita Deokaran was assassinated on August 23, 2021, after dropping her teenage daughter at school.
A vehicle pulled alongside hers while she sat in her car outside her home in Johannesburg. She was shot at her multiple times.
Post Assassination
The assassination stirred up a significant controversy in the country. Deokaran was an anti-corruption whistleblower, yet the state left her unprotected.
Investigation
The police carried out a thorough investigation into the case. After a few questions, they gathered that a suspicious BMW had visited the murder location many times.
The authorities carried out further investigation. They traced the vehicle to a former member of the National Defence Force living in the Pretoria area.
Six suspects were arrested and taken to police custody. A report by The Sunday Times covered that the assassins had observed her for over a month. CCTV cameras in the area were also disabled before the assassination.
Cape Talk reported that the six suspects received a payment of R2 million for the job. A publication by News24 released the names of the arrested suspects;
- Nhlanganiso Ndlovu
- Siphakanyisa Dladla
- Zitha Radebe
- Simphiwe Mazibuko
- Sanele Mbele
- Phakamani Radebe