MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / Still No Justice For Babita Deokaran

Still No Justice For Babita Deokaran

Dear Editor

Today marks a full 2 years since Babita Deokaran was ruthlessly assassinated for daring to expose corruption at Tembisa Hospital.

And while her six killers pleaded guilty yesterday and were sentenced to between 6 and 22 years in prison, the masterminds of the whistleblower’s assassination still remain at large, as does the individual who allegedly pulled the trigger. The DA calls on the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to not stop the investigation there, and continue find the orchestrators of Babita’s murder, including the alleged middlemen identified as Khanyisani Mpungose and Sithole/Jobe.

Not only has all of Babita’s murderers yet to face justice, the Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, revealed in April that “no Department within the public health sector have blacklisted any company since 1 January 2020 to date,” which means that the dubious companies that Babita paid with her life to flag are free to continuing fleecing Tembisa Hospital and the Gauteng Department of Health.

Furthermore, the Department of Health has not dedicated any resources to protecting whistleblowers, as confirmed by the Minister in answer to a DA parliamentary question. Details about the promised collaboration with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to develop a whistleblowing protection, risk assessment and mitigation procurement systems have not been forthcoming. And despite repeatedly asking the Minister for his Department’s approved Fraud Prevention Plan and Whistle Blowing Policy Statement, it seems to be nothing more than a footnote in the annual report as this too has never been provided.

It is clear that the Department of Health has no interest in honouring Babita’s sacrifice. Instead of creating systems and processes that will protect whistleblowers and encourage them to expose corruption, the Department is creating a culture where the corrupt continue to flourish at the expense of staff and patients.

Regards

Michele Clarke MP
DA Shadow Minister of Health

Category: Tag:

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Don’t Ignore a SASSA Review Notice — It Is Not a Cancellation

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. SASSA has reminded beneficiaries that a grant review is not a cancellation. A review simply checks whether a beneficiary still meets the qualifying requirements — it can be triggered by a change in income, employment, marital status, address, contact details…

  • SASSA’s Revised November Payment Dates – And What Beneficiaries Should Know

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. SASSA has revised its November 2026 payment dates around the 4 November municipal elections: Older Persons grants will be paid on 30 October (Friday), Disability grants on 2 November (Monday), and Children’s grants on 3 November (Tuesday), with review-related grants…

  • Thoughts on Lotto Winner News

    Dear Editor This is fantastic news for the community of Gqeberha. It is always heartwarming to hear about such life-changing positive outcomes for everyday people. Congratulations to the lucky winner! Regards Buhle Ngcobo In Response to/From: R8.5 Million Lotto Winner Claims Prize in Gqeberha

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. A boer went to the appliance store sale and found a bargain. \”I would like to buy this TV,\” hetold the salesman. \”Sorry, we don\’t sell to boere,\” the salesman replied. He hurried home, took a shower, changed his clothes and combed his hair, then came back and again told the salesman \”I would like to buy this TV.\” \”Sorry, we don\’t sell to boere,\” the salesman replied. \”Bliksem, he recognized me,\” he thought. So he went for a complete disguise this time, haircut and new color, shaved off the baard, suit and tie, fake glasses, then waited a few days before he again approached the salesman. \”I would like to buy this TV.\” Sorry, we don\’t sell to boere,\” the salesman replied. Frustrated, he exclaimed \”Jislaaik, man! How do you know I\’m a boer?\”\”Because that\’s a microwave,\” the salesman replied.