Babita Deokaran was shot dead in broad daylight outside her home in Johannesburg on August 23. She had just dropped her daughter off at school when a car full of men pulled up next to her and opened fire.
As the acting chief financial officer at the Gauteng Provincial Government Department of Health, the 53-year-old South African had repeatedly acted as a whistleblower. The South African Special Investigating Unit (SIU) confirmed that she was a key witness in an ongoing investigation into the overpriced procurement of COVID-19 protective clothing.
The corruption affair, which is currently being heard in court, involves about 20 million ($22 million).
Whistleblowers in South Africa often pay a high price for their actions. Yet they are key to fighting corruption in a country that ranks 70 out of 180 on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
Whistleblowers for Change, which has 22 members, says people who report malfeasance are often subjected to harassment and violence, dismissed from their jobs, and even murdered for their courage.
There are numerous corruption scandals around the procurement of COVID-19 protective gear and clothing
Athol Williams was preparing for the worst. In March 2021 he testified before a judicial inquiry commission on companies and individuals suspected of influencing legislation or political decisions through corruption, a practice described as 'state capture.'
Known as the Zondo Commission, it was set up in 2018 by...
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