Memorial service honours Babita Deokaran, one year after her murder
Thia Deokaran (left) and her aunt accept Babita Deokaran’s Special Recognition Award
One year ago this week, South African health agency whistleblower Babita Deokaran was shot dead outside her home in Jonannesburg. Her murder bore many of the hallmarks of a targeted killing.
At the time of her death, Babita was the acting chief financial officer at the Guateng Department of Health. She was also a key witness in a far-reaching corruption investigation into the procurement of essential personal protective equipment (PPE) for medics in the front line of the Covid 19 pandemic.
What happened to Babita highlights the extraordinary stakes of whistleblowing in South Africa and the utter inadequacy of physical - never mind legal - protections available to those who raise their voices in the fight against corruption.
The dire situation for whistleblowers in South Africa, notwithstanding the fundamental importance of their role, has been recognised by the Zondo Commission, the country's independent public inquiry into major state corruption.
Last year, Blueprint's Prize event had a special focus on whistleblowing in South Africa. As part of that, we honoured Babita Deokaran with a Special Recognition Award.
This week, that Special Recognition Award was formally accepted by Babita Deokaran's daughter Thia, at her mother's memorial service - in turn, a great honour for us.
Blueprint's Aris Danikas, himself a South African whistleblower, spoke at the ceremony remotely. He said:
"Today, on the anniversary of her death, we remember and honour Babita Deokaran’s memory, her life, her inspiring actions as well as her ultimate sacrifice, by making certain that the message is loud and clear: our society will not tolerate such a tragic loss of life and demands answers and the implementation of current legislation, as well as effective protection mechanisms, in order to secure the safety of future whistleblowers in South Africa
"Babita paid the ultimate price for following her conscience and ethics. She refused to participate in corruption and chose to become an activist against wrongdoing at the place of work, in other words, she chose to become a whistleblower. Babita did not just report corruption, she in fact exposed corruption at the highest level, collected evidence and chose to become a state witness, knowing the risks involved.
"Babita Deokaran was a winner of the 2021 Blueprint for Free Speech Special Recognition Award. Although the pain and suffering to her loved ones caused by her tragic assassination is unbearable, we hope that her heroic actions and ultimate sacrifice will radically improve the South African fight against corruption, especially within the Government sector, as well as help reform the current whistleblower protection act.
"Our thoughts and wishes are with her only daughter, today, who is receiving her mother’s Blueprint Special Recognition Award of 2021."
Six men are accused of involvement in her murder and their trial is expected to take place later this year. Whoever ultimately ordered the murder of Babita Deokaran is, however, still at large.