Johannesburg - The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the sentencing of six men responsible for the murder of Babita Deokaran, the acting chief financial officer in the Gauteng Department of Health.
According to the SIU, she was a noble public servant and worked with law enforcement agencies, especially the SIU, to stop the abuse of public funds by providing information on ongoing investigations in the Health Department.
“As a senior official in finance and supply chain management, she provided the SIU with information to assist with investigations relating to the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the Health Department and flagged maladministration, fraud, and corruption related to the supply chain management processes at the Tembisa Hospital.
“The SIU investigation produced significant results, and consequence management has been implemented. Several senior officials in the Health Department have faced disciplinary action and been dismissed from employment; PPE contracts have been terminated and monies returned to the state,” read the statement.
The SIU said that there were still several contracts that needed to be adjudicated in the Special Tribunal, such as the refurbishment of the AngloGold Ashanti Mine Hospital for Covid-19 purposes.
“Last week, the Health Department announced that it had suspended six of the nine officials that were cited in the SIU Report on Tembisa Hospital, while others left the hospital before action could be taken against them. The SIU will conduct further investigation into the alleged corruption, maladministration, fraud, and malpractices related to the supply chain management processes at the hospital,” added the SIU.
The SIU said it supported and hailed the efforts by the SAPS, in particular the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and the National Prosecuting Authority, in the further investigation to trace the mastermind behind the murder of Deokaran.
DA health spokesperson Michele Clarke revealed in April that “no department within the public health sector has blacklisted any company since January 1, 2020, to date”, meaning that the dubious companies that Deokaran paid with her life to flag were free to continue fleecing Tembisa Hospital and the Gauteng Department of Health.
“Furthermore, the Department of Health has not dedicated any resources to protecting whistle-blowers, as confirmed by the minister in answer to a DA parliamentary question. Details about the promised collaboration with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to develop whistle-blowing protection, risk assessment, and mitigation procurement systems have not been forthcoming,” said Clark.
She said that despite repeatedly asking the minister for his department’s approved Fraud Prevention Plan and Whistle-blowing Policy Statement, it seemed to be nothing more than a footnote in the annual report, as this too had never been provided.
“It is clear that the Department of Health has no interest in honouring Babita’s sacrifice. Instead of creating systems and processes that will protect whistle-blowers and encourage them to expose corruption, the department is creating a culture where the corrupt continue to flourish at the expense of staff and patients,” added Clarke.
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation said that it noted the plea of guilt by the six accused in the case of Deokaran.
They added that while this was a significant development and ended a case that took almost two years, it did not represent closure in any meaningful way.
The foundation said that there were four requirements for there to be proper closure on the case, and they reiterated the call for the people behind the assassins to be caught and prosecuted.
“The companies and individuals that profited from the corrupt practices that Babita uncovered must likewise be brought to book. We trust that the work of the SIU will speed this up. This must be done irrespective of party-political positions and connections. The possible replication of the Tembisa Hospital modus operandi must be investigated and eradicated if found, and the cases of officials suspended for either dereliction of duty or complicity in the corruption flagged by Babita must be speeded up,” added the foundation.
The foundation said that the conclusion of the case comes a day before the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and other civil society organisations prepare to pay homage to Deokaran on the second anniversary of her assassination.
“Amongst other issues, the memorial service will speak to the new developments in the case, the plight of whistle-blowers, and an update from the SIU. There will also be a handover of AKF’s petition, which was done through Change.org, to the Gauteng MEC of Health, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko,” read the statement.
The Star