Johannesburg - The murder trial of the six men accused of carrying out a hit on whistle-blower Babita Deokaran got off to a bumpy start after it was postponed without getting under way yesterday.
The much-awaited trial was meant to begin in the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, but due to ill health of one of the accused’s advocates, the matter was postponed to August 7.
The six accused – Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Phinda Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko and Siphakanyiswa Dladla – appeared briefly before Judge Motsamai Makume.
All the accused were denied bail and remain in custody until their next court appearance.
The trial, which takes place almost two years since the murder of Deokaran, killed in what is alleged to have been a hit, has been two years in the making.
It was reported that advocate Menzi Simelane, who is representing accused no 2, was unwell and not at court.
It is said that the postponement was to allow for the defence to finish going through the evidence the State intends relying on when the matter resumes.
Deokaran was shot dead outside her home south of Joburg on August 23, 2021.
At the time of her death, she was the chief director of financial accounting at the Gauteng Department of Health.
Before her murder, it was revealed that Deokaran had flagged more than
R850million in suspicious payments disbursed out of Tembisa Hospital.
Yesterday, the EFF in the province said it welcomed the start of the muchawaited trial involving some members of the ANC as well as Tembisa Hospital staff.
“While we welcome the arrest of suspects and the commencement of the trial in relation to Deokaran’s murder which took place in August 2021, the fact that this trial has dragged on for such a long time – and considering the real masterminds who ordered and organised a hit on her have not been arrested – is rather discouraging,” the EFF’s provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said.
Dunga said the start of the trial also came more than eight months since the SIU’s forensic report confirmed the involvement of high-flying syndicates in the murder.
“It is also worth noting that it has been almost eight months since the SIU forensic report confirmed the allegations of syndicate activities, corruption, fraud and forgery at Tembisa Hospital.
“Not a single official has been held accountable,” Dunga said.
“It is almost four months now since the Hawks raided the ANC regional treasurer Sello Sekhokho in relation to the criminal activities in the hospital, and still, no decisive progress has been made in holding him and his friends accountable,” Dunga added.
State prosecutor Steven Rubin requested the case to be postponed due to the counsel’s ill health.
The defence agreed with the prosecutor that they still needed to engage with the evidential material they had received from the State to prepare for their defence. The six accused are expected to plead when the case resumes.
Reacting to the news of the postponement, DA spokesperson on health in Gauteng Jack Bloom told The Star that he was frustrated by the latest delay.
“My view is that we need to know the mastermind behind this. We want to know who gave the orders to kill Deokaran. These court delays are frustrating and are causing great distress to her family,” Bloom said.
The Star