Babita: more arrests expected
Man let off the hook for murder of finance boss
Six suspects appear in the Johannesburg magistrates’ court in connection with the murder of Babita Deokaran, a senior official in the Gauteng department of health who was set to be a key witness in an investigation into corruption linked to procurement of personal protective equipment. The six are charged with murder among others.
One of the men arrested for the murder of senior Gauteng health department official Babita Deokaran has been let off the hook, it emerged yesterday.
Six accused appeared for five minutes magistrate in ’the s court. Johannesburg
Originally seven men were arrested but only six – Phakamani Hadebe, Zita Hadebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbele, Siphiwe Mazibuko and Phakanyiswa Dladla – appeared in court.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said “the seventh suspect could not be linked to evidence”.
“The matter has been postponed for bail application on September 13.”
Mjonondwane said the six were facing charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and possession of unlicensed firearms. tMjonondwane said the attempted murder charge relates to a person who was in the car with Deokaran at the time of the attack.
Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Cpt Ndivhuwo Mulamu said a woman who was in the car with Deokaran at the time of the shooting was in a “safe place”.
“She was not injured in the attack. The attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges relate to the attack on her.”
Mulamu said the suspects were all from KwaZulu-Natal.
She said there were a number of outstanding suspects for whom police were looking.
“The investigating team is working with crime intelligence agents to track them down,” she said, declining to divulge details.
She disclosed, however, that “none of suspects arrested are department of health or government officials”.
Deokaran, 53, a senior Gauteng health department finance official, was gunned down outside her Winchester Hills home, in the south of Johannesburg, a week ago.
She was a long-time whistleblower who had exposed alleged irregularities and corruption in the department.
Premier David Makhura said there was “a link” between her murder and those facing charges involving R332m in personal protective equipment tender fraud.
The Sunday Times reported that Deokaran’s alleged killers stalked her for more than a month. According to the report, three days after the brazen daytime hit, they were traced by a maze of CCTV cameras that pieced together their getaway route and led to their arrest.