‘Justice is not complete’: Gauteng legislature honours Babita Deokaran, four years after her murder

Committee Chairperson Advocate Ezra Letsoalo said they are carrying forward Deokaran’s values by strengthening oversight of the provincial Health Department and ensuring public money is spent responsibly.

“Her unwavering commitment to integrity, accountability, and good governance continues to inspire the Committee in its oversight work. 

Through rigorous monitoring and accountability measures, we are committed to ensuring public funds are used effectively and transparently,” said Letsoalo.

Saturday marked four years since Deokaran was gunned down outside her Winchester Hills home in Johannesburg after exposing irregular tenders at Tembisa Hospital. 

Deokaran had exposed suspicious payments of more than R850 million at Tembisa Hospital, including inflated COVID-19 PPE tenders.

She was assassinated shortly after dropping off her daughter at school.

Six men have since been convicted of her murder, but the masterminds remain at large. 

Her family insists true justice will only come when those who ordered the hit are arrested. 

They have also renewed calls for stronger whistleblower protection.

Civil society organisations have also honoured her memory. 

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation hosted a memorial event in Mondeor, while Blueprint for Free Speech posthumously awarded her with a Special Recognition Award.

 The Helen Suzman Foundation also described Deokaran as a symbol of integrity whose death highlighted the dangers faced by public servants who fight and speak out against corruption.

In 2023, a petition demanded that the Gauteng Department of Health suspend implicated officials and blacklist the 224 companies she identified in her forensic report.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has also acknowledged that Deokaran was killed for exposing corruption worth more than R1 billion, urging authorities to fast-track the investigation into the masterminds behind her murder.

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