Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa described the legacy of assassinated whistleblower Babita Deokaran as a call to combat corruption. Speaking at the inaugural Deokaran Lecture, Hlabisa pledged support for stronger whistleblower protections. Advocate John Clarke highlighted ongoing systemic issues in South Africa.
Babita Deokaran, who served as Chief Director for Financial Accounting at the Gauteng Health Department, was killed outside her Johannesburg home four years ago. Her work exposing irregularities, such as stopping over R850 million in questionable payments at Tembisa Hospital, positioned her as a symbol of integrity amid widespread graft.
At the inaugural Deokaran Lecture held at the Anti-Corruption Centre for Education and Research on Stellenbosch University’s Bellville campus in the Western Cape, Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs emphasized that Deokaran's story serves as both a warning and an imperative to tackle corruption. Hlabisa committed her administration to standardizing whistleblower protocols, backing the whistleblower protection bill with its witness protection updates, and implementing Auditor-General measures on material irregularities, including debt certificates.
Whistleblower advocate John Clarke addressed the event, noting that South Africa has yet to address the deeper problems Deokaran uncovered. He pointed to a culture of greed that endangers lives, stating, “I think that Babita’s death and the death of others that have died just for this year, people that have been speaking out, that their sacrifices would be honoured if they see this filtering out in society more widely so that we take responsibility of honestly acknowledging the first step is to admit that we have a problem. Not that government has a problem. Greed is incentivised, silence is rewarded, and integrity is punished, and we’re never going to have any recovery without that honesty.”
Deokaran's assassination underscores the risks faced by those challenging corrupt practices, prompting calls for systemic reforms to safeguard whistleblowers and foster accountability.