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 paid tribute to Babita Deokaran, a whistleblower whose life was cut short while exposing corruption in the Gauteng Health Department. Deokaran, a senior official at the Department, raised concerns over fraudulent transactions at Tembisa Hospital, estimated at over R850 million. Ntuli honored Deokaran's courage during Women's Month, comparing her to the bravery of the 20,000 women who marched against oppressive Pass Laws in 1956.
Deokaran's fatal shooting outside her home on August 23, 2021, demonstrated her unwavering commitment to exposing wrongdoing. Ntuli urged those present to celebrate Women's Day by honoring Deokaran's bravery, which parallels the courage exhibited by the women of 1956, and to actively combat crime and corruption across all government and societal sectors.
He emphasized the need for improved protection of whistleblowers and law enforcement to effectively prosecute and dismantle criminal networks.
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