The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation on Monday joined several other organisations outside the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court, calling for justice for slain corruption fighter, Babita Deokaran.
Deokaran was a Gauteng health department official and a witness in a R332 million dodgy PPE deal. She was shot dead last month outside her Johannesburg South home after dropping off her daughter at school.
The six accused in the case had their bail application remanded in custody and will next appear in Court in October.
Protestors, led by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), demanded that whistleblowers and honest public servants be better protected. Those echoing the call included the Defend our Democracy campaign; the Active Citizens Movement; SAA whistleblower and founder of Citizens of Conscience, Cynthia Stimpel; and one of the ‘SABC 8’ who was vocal against capture at the public broadcaster, Thandeka Gqubule.
Speakers present highlighted that legislation and policy proposals to better support whistleblowers required urgent attention, and called for action outside Court again next month when the bail application will be heard.
The Foundation’s Executive Director, Neeshan Balton, said that there needed to be consistent public pressure so that cases involving whistleblower attacks “don’t just end up in dusty files somewhere”.
“We don’t just want those who may have pulled the trigger in the dock, but we want to know who ordered Deokaran’s killing. This case must send a strong message that no one is immune to justice.
“For many years, those behind the killings of activists, anti-corruption fighters and whistleblowers in different parts of the country, have simply got away and cases have ‘gone cold’.
“We cannot allow assassinations, political killings and the continued harassment and targeting of those who are honest and who stand up to capture and corruption to go unchallenged,” Balton said.
Balton said there is a need to find a collective approach to drive policies recommendations to better protect whistleblowers.
“At the same time however, September is Public Service Month, and our call to honest public servants is to rally together to counter the intimidation, and continue fighting within to dislodge corrupt individuals, and capture networks.”
