State confident of tracing Babita hit mastermind

The state says it is confident that the six men accused of killing Gauteng health department whistleblower Babita Deokaran made full disclosures that would help trace the person who ordered the hit. 

Yesterday, the six accused men – Phakamani Hadebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphakanyiswa Dladla, Zitha Radebe and Siphiwe Mazibuko – pleaded guilty to murder after they entered into a plea agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The state is still pursuing three other suspects who took part in the August 23 2021 murder of Deokaran, who was ambushed outside her home in Winchester Hills, southern Joburg, after dropping her daughter at school. The three men are Khanyisani Mpungose, who is believed to have organised the hit, a man identified only as Sithole and an unknown adult male who is Mpungose's friend, according to the NPA.

They were never seen again after the shooting.

"We are pursuing the people that were mentioned by the accused, placing them at the scene of crime saying that they were together and that they were recruited by one of them [Mpungose]. We believe that they (six accused) told us everything about how the plan was hatched and executed," NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwana.

"We are now following up on the three people they named. We are hoping that the investigation will answer that and help with getting the person who gave the instruction [for Deokaran to be killed]."

The NPA court document read: "The accused pleaded guilty and in so doing have given a full account of their involvement in the commission of the offence. The accused have provided valuable information previously unknown to the state, that will assist in the state's ongoing attempts to bring further persons involved in the murder of the deceased to justice."  

The Johannesburg high court yesterday sentenced Hadebe and Mbhele to 22 years' imprisonment, while Radebe, Dladla and Mazibuko were sentenced to 15 years each. Ndlovu will serve six years behind bars.

Deokaran, 53, was a senior finance official in the department of health who uncovered a R1bn in irregular tenders at Tembisa Hospital before she was assassinated.

Wayne Duvenage, CEO of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), welcomed the sentences but called for more arrest within the department. 

"Somebody else ordered them to do this. The real tragedy would be that we don't get to the bottom of who ordered her killing and those people are not held accountable. It's a bit of a hallow victory because of the fact that not only have people stolen a lot of money from the public but are enriched with no accountability.

"There are a number of companies that were on the revenue stream and all of them need to be rounded up now so that we get to know who was the mastermind. This is just step one. It should be easy now to find out who were the kingpins," said Duvenage.

Neeshan Balton, CEO of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, said while the sentences were a step toward closure for the family, authorities should continue with investigations until the mastermind behind the killing is found. 

“The plea does not tell us who paid them [to kill Deokaran]. It doesn’t give us the full chain of command that eventually led to the execution. Complete closure will come once the whole country knows who paid the assassins. Full closure will also come when all the beneficiaries of the corrupt practices that Babita had discovered and warned superiors about, are apprehended, charged, found guilty and imprisoned thereafter.

"Lastly, closure will come when the practices at Tembisa Hospital have been completely eradicated as well as in all public hospitals where similar practices might have been rolled-out," said Balton.

Babita’s brother Rakesh said: “Their apology is not accepted. Even though you apologise, it doesn’t give anyone the right to take an innocent life. Nothing will ever bring closure. She is missed every day.”

–  Additional reporting by TimesLIVE