Arthur Greene
Six men appeared in court on Monday on charges relating to the murder of a Gauteng health department official and corruption whistleblower, Babita Deokaran.
Deokaran, 53, was a witness in the investigation into corrupt personal protection equipment (PPE) deals that rocked the province last year. Investigators believe that her murder was a targeted hit relating to her involvement in this case.
Six men – Nhlangano Ndlovu, Siphakanyiswa Dladla, Zitha Radebe, Simphiwe Mazibuko, Sanele Mbele and Phakamani Radebe – appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court in connection with the murder.
Ndivhuwo Mulamu, communication officer at the Hawks, told the media that all the suspects are from KwaZulu-Natal and none of them is a health department official.
Mulamu also said that more arrests will follow shortly: “We still have outstanding suspects that we are looking into; there’s intelligence that we are working with and we are following up on that information. And we can actually confirm that more arrests will be imminent.”
The men, all aged between 24 and 30, have been charged with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
They have been handed charges of attempted murder because Deokaran was with another person when she was shot to death in her vehicle, the court heard.
“The person who was with the deceased during the shootout is at this point safe and she was not injured. Hence we adding the conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder on the charge,” said Phindi Mjonondwane, regional communication manager for the National Prosecuting Authority.
Image source: @ewnupdates
