Ahmed Kathrada Foundation commemorates Babita Deokaran’s life

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation will today commemorate the life of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran, marking the third anniversary of her assassination in 2021.

Deokaran, who served as the acting Chief Financial Officer at the Gauteng Department of Health, was shot outside her housing complex in the south of Johannesburg in August 2021, after exposing fraud and corruption within the department.

On the eve that marked two years since her death, the six men involved in Deokaran’s murder were found guilty and were sentenced to between 6- and 22-years imprisonment.

The family’s spokesperson and Deokaran’s brother-in-law Tony Haripersad says that the family feels the case has not been resolved adequately because the men who were sentenced to imprisonment were those who carried out the assassination.

“The masterminds have not been found and, sadly, no one has been identified that was responsible for hiring these mastermen. You know, closure for us would look like if the mastermind was identified, brought to book and was able to serve justice. But unfortunately, it seems like there’s a very slight chance of this happening,” added Haripersad.

PODCAST |  Elvis Presslin spoke to Tony Haripersad, the family’s spokesperson and Deokaran’s brother-in-law: