Kathrada foundation commemorates Deokaran
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation is commemorating whistleblower Babita Deokaran on the third anniversary of her assassination.
The former acting chief financial officer at the Gauteng Health Department was a key witness in a corruption probe involving the procurement of R850 million in personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic at Tembisa Hospital.
She was tragically shot outside her Johannesburg home.
Six men were sentenced for her murder, but the masterminds remain at large.
Six of nine officials who have since been suspended are yet to be held accountable.
The foundation said the sentencing of the group does not represent closure.
"The people behind the assassins must be caught and prosecuted. They should receive the harshest sentences possible. The companies and individuals who profited from the corrupt practices that Babita uncovered must likewise be brought to book.
"We trust that the work of the SIU will speed this up. This must be done irrespective of party-political positions and connections.
"The possible replication of the Tembisa Hospital modus operandi must be investigated and eradicated if found. The cases of officials suspended for either dereliction of duty of complicity in the corruption flagged by Babita must be speeded up."
