Honouring Babita Deokaran: A call to protect whistleblowers
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Honourable Thamsanqa Ntuli joined the family of slain whistleblower Babita Deokaran to unveil a memorial monument in her honour. The ceremony took place at the Shri Marriammen Temple Heritage Site in Mount Edgecombe, Durban, where Deokaran grew up. It marks roughly five years since her August 2021 assassination. She was murdered outside her Johannesburg home after exposing…
KWAZULU-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli honoured Babita Deokaran by calling for strengthened protection of whistleblowers during the unveiling of a monument in her memory. Deokaran, a senior official at the Gauteng Health Department, exposed corruption at Tembisa Hospital worth over R850 million. Ntuli likened Deokaran's courage to that of the 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in protest against oppressive Pass Laws.
The premier emphasized that Deokaran's bravery, despite costing her life, should inspire public servants and citizens to safeguard the integrity of democratic institutions. He urged attendees to celebrate Women's Day by honoring Deokaran's bravery and commitment, and to take an active role in combating crime and corruption in all sectors of government and society.
Ntuli stressed that government, law enforcement, and the entire criminal justice system must improve their efforts to protect whistleblowers and bring down crime syndicates.
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