Was senior Gauteng Health official assassinated to protect corrupt people who steal from the poor?

24 August 2021

I am hugely concerned by the murder yesterday morning of senior Gauteng health official Babita Deokaran, who was one of the witnesses for the SIU investigation into the multi-million rand PPE scandal.

Deokaran was shot several times in her car as she entered her complex in Mondeor in south Johannesburg.

This looks like an assassination to prevent her giving key evidence in the PPE corruption, but I also suspect she uncovered more corruption when she served as acting Chief Finance Officer after the departure of the previous CFO Kabelo Lehloenya.

Deokaran was well-known as an honest and efficient official in a department rife with crooked people who think nothing of stealing money that is needed to fix our ailing hospitals.

A well-organised hit like this shows how high the stakes are in the corruption that is being uncovered which probably implicates top political figures as well.

My deep condolences to her family, it is so sad that good people suffer most while those who rob from the poor will stop at nothing to protect themselves from justice.

The DA will push for a high-level speedy investigation to find her murderers, which hopefully assists in uprooting the deep rot in the Gauteng Health Department.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 24 August 2021