Six individuals who were charged in connection with the murder of whistleblower Babita Deokaran have pleaded guilty to her assassination as part of a plea agreement reached between the prosecution and defense.
On August 23, 2021, Babita Deokaran, a senior officer at the Gauteng Department of Health, was fatally shot in front of her residence in south Johannesburg. Prior to her tragic death, she had reported suspicious payments totaling hundreds of millions of rands originating from Tembisa Hospital.
The six accused individuals, Phakamani Vincent Hadebe, Mhlangano Phinda Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphakanyiswa Dladla, Zitha Radebe, and Siphiwe Thabane Mazibuko, were found guilty and received sentencing from the South Gauteng High Court on August 22, 2023.
The investigation into Deokaran's murder was launched by the Hawks’ Gauteng-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit. Within three days of the murder, on August 26, 2021, the six suspects were apprehended and subsequently denied bail before being remanded in custody.
During the legal proceedings, the accused individuals admitted their guilt in the murder case and received the following sentences:
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Phakamani Vincent Hadebe: 22 years imprisonment for murder
Mhlangano Phinda Ndlovu: 6 years imprisonment for murder
Sanele Mbhele: 22 years imprisonment for murder
Siphakanyiswa Dladla: 15 years imprisonment for murder, 8 years imprisonment for firearm possession, 7 years imprisonment for ammunition possession (15 years effective sentence)
Zitha Radebe: 15 years imprisonment for murder
Siphiwe Thabane Mazibuko: 15 years imprisonment for murder
According to court records, the individual identified as the mastermind, referred to as 'Mpongose,' sought help from the first accused individual due to Deokaran's increasing interference. State attorney Steven Reuben suggested that the murder had been meticulously planned a month in advance, with guidance from alleged intermediaries referred to as 'Khanyisani Mpungose' and 'Sithole,' among others.
Deokaran was considered a 'troublesome figure' at her workplace, as conveyed by Mpungose to the first accused individual in early August 2021. Accused 1 then introduced Accused 2, 3, 4, and 5 to assist. Additionally, Sithole, also known as Jobe, approached the sixth accused individual in mid-August 2021 to surveil the victim's residence. Mpungose provided the two vehicles used during the attempt to locate the victim, and on the day of the incident, both he and an unidentified adult male discharged shots at the victim's vehicle before fleeing the scene."
Reports by The Truth Panther
