Gauteng Health Department official Babita Deokaran was gunned down outside of her home in Winchester Hills, Johannesburg, on Monday morning.
Babita Deokaran murder: What’s the latest?
Multiple shots rang off in the Joburg neighbourhood at approximately 08:00 on that fateful morning. From what we understand, Deokaran, aged 53, had dropped off her child at school and was on her way into her home when she was assassinated and killed in cold blood.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura, reacting to the news of Deokaran’s death, confirmed that a special SAPS task team has been set up to investigate the murder.
“Perpetrators of this brutal murder of a public servant must know that we have put all the necessary resources to find them and bring them to justice,” Makhura’s spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga said in a statement.
While no arrests have been made in the crucial 48 hours since the murder, Daily Maverick has reliably learned that arrests may be imminent.
According to sources close to the investigation, robbery has already been ruled out as a motive behind the murder. Deokaran, as far as it is known, had no immediate enemies.
She was loved by those close to her and many of her peers and relatives described her as a warm-hearted mother who worked hard and troubled no one.
At the crime scene, Deokaran’s phone, laptop and handbag were left untouched. If anything, it looked more apparent that whoever pulled off the clinical assassination, knew exactly where and when to pounce on the 53-year-old.
It’s understood that in a bid to escalate matters and extend resources, the Hawks have joined the fray. The case, however, remains open as preparations are finalised by Deokaran’s family to lay her to rest.
Understanding links to PPE probe
At this time, with speculation rife about the motive behind Deokaran’s murder, one possible motive that’s been cast by those close to the investigation is tied to the 53-year-old’s role in an ongoing probe into the Gauteng Health Department’s complicity in a COVID-19 PPE tender scam that’s being investigated by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
In a statement released on Tuesday, the unit confirmed that while no immediate evidence suggests that Deokaran’s murder was tied to the probe, she was a key witness to an ongoing PPE investigation.
“I would like to confirm the fact that the Chief Director of the [Gauteng] Department of Health who was murdered yesterday (Monday) was part of the many witnesses that we had on our investigation into PPEs in the department,” the SIU said.
A year ago, Makhura revealed, Deokaran had been appointed as Acting Chief Financial Officer following an exodus of high-ranking Gauteng health officials linked to PPE corruption.
During her tenure, the 53-year-old uncovered a number of shoddy and underhanded deals the department had entered into with a number of private companies.
“The result of her good deeds led to successful dismissals within the department and saw the institution of civil claims to recover public funds from businesses and government officials responsible for malfeasance and corruption,” Makhura added.
Could Deokaran’s good deeds have attracted a slew of enemies who had a score to settle? This question lingers on as the Babita Deokaran murder investigation intensifies.
This is a developing story.