The six men accused of fatally shooting Babita Deokaran are expected to enter into a plea agreement with the State.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, said the matter was postponed to August 22 to allow the State and the defence to finalise the plea and sentencing agreement.
Mjonondwane said if the two parties are able to reach an agreement, the case will not go to trial.
The men briefly appeared at the South Gauteng High Court on Tuesday.
The accused, Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko, and Siphakanyiswa Dladla, have been charged with murder, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and conspiracy to murder.
They also face another charge of attempted murder of Deokaran’s domestic worker, who was in the car with her at the time of the shooting.
All of the accused were denied bail.
Deokaran, 53, was shot dead outside her home in Winchester Hills, south of Johannesburg, on August 23, 2021.
She was shot after returning from dropping off her daughter at school.
Deokaran was the chief director of financial accounting in the Gauteng Health Department and was at the forefront of fighting and exposing alleged corruption in the department.
In the weeks leading up to her death, she flagged hundreds of millions of rands in dodgy payments out of Tembisa Hospital.
She was assisting with investigations into personal protective equipment (PPE) tender scandals which rocked the department.
The mastermind behind Deokaran’s assassination has still not been captured.
Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has initiated a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) inquiry into the R1 billion corruption networks at Tembisa Hospital.
Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for the presidency, confirmed to the press that the president gave the go-ahead for the investigation last week.
The SIU has already begun its investigation into the matter.
IOL