'WE'VE HAD NO CLOSURE'

The family of slain whistleblower Babita Deokaran are determined to find out who masterminded her murder

- MAXINE PETERS

THERE are so many things they miss about their sister – her kindness and willingness to help, and the hearty meals she liked to cook for the people she loved.

Even though it’s been two years since Babita Deokaran was gunned down in the driveway of her Joburg home, her siblings say that they and her teenage daughter are still reeling from the devastating loss.

“It still feels like a dream,” says Babita’s brother, Rakesh Deokaran. There are times when it feels like she could walk through the door at any moment, he adds. “We just long to hear her voice.”

Babita’s murder sent shockwaves through SA in August 2021 as it became clear she’d paid the ultimate price for blowing the whistle on fraud and corruption at Tembisa Hospital. As chief director of the Gauteng health department’s financial accounting division, she exposed suspicious payments amounting to nearly R1 billion. The way she saw it, she was just doing her job, her brother says.

“Babita wasn’t prepared to turn a blind eye even though she knew her life was at risk,” Rakesh tells YOU.

On the second anniversary of Babita’s death, members of her family, civil society representatives and Gauteng government officials gathered for a memorial service to remember her bravery.

The event, organised by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation at Christ the King Church in Mondeor, Johannesburg, was bittersweet – just two days before, six men were sentenced for their involvement in her murder.

Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko and Siphakanyiswa Dladla all pleaded guilty and were given prison sentences ranging from six to 22 years, according to their roles in the hit.