Tuesday, August 23, will be a year since Babita Deokaran, the chief director of financial accounting in the Gauteng health department, was shot dead in the driveway of her Johannesburg home after dropping her daughter off at school. At the time, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) confirmed she was a witness in a R300m protective personal equipment (PPE) tender fraud investigation in the Gauteng health department.
Several people were arrested for her murder, but to date no culprits have been convicted, including those who ordered the hit on an honest and hard-working public servant and mother of a high school daughter. Her killing was a travesty, yet it took an investigation by News24 to dig up more information on the circumstances around her assassination, including the facts that she identified more than R800m in alleged corrupt and fraudulent contracts and provided evidence in more than 100 investigations regarding graft in the provincial health department.
Since these reports emerged, Gauteng premier David Makhura said an independent investigator would be appointed to look into the allegations. Deokaran had reportedly queried a series of payments to contractors, specifically from Tembisa Hospital. “The Gauteng provincial government is treating this matter in a very serious light, and consequently, the office of the premier is finalising the process of appointing an independent forensic investigator to investigate the allegations that have surfaced relating to the case,” said Makhura.
These people still enjoy the security of tenure in their jobs. They remain guilty, they remain useful, they remain woefully untouchable. These people are everywhere. They are neatly nestled in their cushy jobs.
— Martha Ngoye
Asked if any staff who were implicated have been sanctioned, Makhura recently said the matters had been referred to the head of the health department. “While we are committed in ensuring decisive action is taken against public servants that have been found to have failed in discharging their responsibilities in line with the PFMA, we need to ensure our actions are in line with the PSA and other applicable prescripts,” he said.
Makhura added the provincial government was strengthening its control systems to prevent fraud and corruption.
For now, until we see real change, these are just meaningless words.
Today, in TimesLIVE Premium, Martha Ngoye, a whistle-blower and the former head of legal services at rail agency Prasa, argues Justice for Babita should have started by taking action against those who harassed her at the Gauteng health department. But, she writes, “these people still enjoy the security of tenure in their jobs. They remain guilty, they remain useful, they remain woefully untouchable. These people are everywhere. They are neatly nestled in their cushy jobs.” Ngoye continues: “Justice for Babita requires that they are named, shamed and fairly dealt with.”
We need to see fast action against these evildoers. Not only for “Justice for Babita” but alsojustice for all whistle-blowers.
Last year, Monray Marsellus Botha, the head of department and associate professor at the University of Pretoria, wrote about zero support for whistle-blowers in our current system. SA has several pieces of legislation and regulatory policy documents that cover corruption and whistle-blowing and offer protection for whistle-blowers. But the tentacles of corruption in SA run so deep that protection on paper does not translate into protection on the streets, as Deokaran’s family learnt a year ago. For them, the only change has been the introduction to loss and grief and anger to their lives, a reality certain to put off many other potential whistle-blowers.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.