Babita Deokaran
Image: Supplied
THE way our law enforcement agencies are so inept, corruptible and compromised, some South Africans have lost faith in the criminal justice system. Unlike some South Africans, Babita Deokaran refused to look away when she saw wrongdoing, driven by her unwavering commitment to do the right thing.
One has to wonder what goes through the minds of Deokaran’s family as they watch the televised Madlanga Commission of Inquiry unpack the rot within the law enforcement agencies. Does it give them hope that the masterminds who ordered the hit on her are closer to being apprehended?
The good thing about the Madlanga Commission exposing shenanigans within the law enforcement agencies is that we now know our police force is rotten to the core. If we did not know the extent of the rot, we would still be wondering why so many high-profile murder cases are going unsolved in South Africa.
Like the Deokaran case, the rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes’ case is dragging on without any sign of the masterminds being held to account, says the writer.
Image: SUPPLIED.
Like the Deokaran case, the rapper Kiernan "AKA" Forbes’s case is dragging on without any sign of the masterminds being held to account. While the alleged hitmen are facing trial, those who ordered the hit on him remain at large.
If high-profile cases go unsolved, then what about murder cases that do not make news headlines? What this means is that South Africa is now sitting with a record number of unsolved murders, many of which have become cold cases.
The ineptitude, together with unethical behavior by our law enforcement officers, is bad news for South Africans. As murder cases remain unsolved, the grief of the victims’ families worsens, and the fears of those fighting graft in the public sector are heightened.
As the Madlanga Commission keeps exposing the rot and sheer incompetence in the criminal justice system, one begins to fathom why justice in the Deokaran case has been delayed so far and, hopefully, will not be denied in the end. It is one thing to learn that our law enforcement agencies are incompetent, but what boggles the mind and is very spooky is that they are also in cahoots with criminal syndicates.
Even before Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made his serious allegations about the rot in the SAPS and traffic police, advocate Shamila Batohi, then the head of the National Prosecutions Authority, made a bold claim that the prosecutions authority was “infiltrated " by compromised individuals.
Not surprisingly, the public’s trust in law enforcement agencies is eroding rapidly, especially among those fighting corruption and any wrongdoing in the public sector.
Both in the eyes and the minds of whistle-blower Deokaran’s family and the nation in general, the longer the law enforcement agencies are unable to find a mastermind(s) behind her calculated, brutal and cold-blooded murder, the more her case starts to feel like justice delayed and justice denied.
The notion that "justice delayed is justice denied" is a fundamental legal maxim attributed to legal scholar Arthur T Vanderbilt. It implies that if legal redress is obtainable, but cannot be delivered in a timely manner, it is the same as having no corrective action or justice.
Deokaran was brutally gunned down in a hail of bullets in 2021 after exposing large-scale corruption at the notorious Tembisa Hospital. The hitmen who were generously paid to kill her were apprehended and successfully prosecuted in 2023. Yet the Hawks have failed to follow the money trail or conduct a thorough and extensive investigation to identify those who ordered the hit on her.
In July, 2025, the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) announced that it was finalising its investigation into the murder of Deokaran. The then SIU head, advocate Andy Mothibi, who is now the national director of public prosecutions, went on record to confirm that investigators were finalising their work on Deokaran’s high-profile case.
Almost a year later, the nation is still holding its breath for the announcement of the name or names of the masterminds behind the murder. In recent years, South Africans have become accustomed to masterminds going unidentified. Lest we forget, back in 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa pointed the finger at 12 instigators or masterminds allegedly behind the 2021 riots.
Ironically, Ramaphosa’s nephew, Hangwani Maumela, is one of the central figures implicated in the looting of Tembisa Hospital. Maumela’s network of firms secured around R36 million in deals. Ongoing investigations into the dodgy deals at Tembisa Hospital have revealed a web of companies linked to underworld figures such as the notorious Vusumuzi "Cat" Matlala and others.
The Madlanga Commission and Parliament’s ad hoc committee hearings have shed light on Matlala's close ties not only to senior officers in the SAPS, such as Major General Shadrack Sibiya and metro police boss Julius Mkhwanazi, but also to senior government officials.
This begs the question: would we know what we know now about the close ties among civil servants, senior police officers and politicians had the Madlanga Commission not been appointed? And then, what does all of this insinuate and tell us about the delay in apprehending the masterminds behind the murder of Deokaran?
What message does it send when the people who are entrusted to uphold the law are swimming with the sharks and in cahoots with underworld figures?
There is growing pressure on the law enforcement agencies to apprehend the mastermind(s) behind the killing of Deokaran and other whistle-blowers. Deokaran, who worked at the Gauteng Department of Health, sent a spooky message to her boss, warning that their lives were in grave danger.
Twelve days after sending the message, Deokaran was murdered in cold blood. She had been working with the SIU to expose corruption at Tembisa Hospital and other hospitals in Gauteng. She exposed dodgy deals and irregular tenders totaling R850 million.
It has been almost five years since Deokaran was assassinated, and the quest for justice in her high-profile case remains strong even after the hitmen were convicted. While investigators should be commended for apprehending the hitmen, there is no justice as long as the mastermind(s) remain at large and unprosecuted.
Another high-profile case that has dragged on for more than two decades is that of Orlando Pirates and national soccer goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa.
Image: ISITHOMBE
Another high-profile case that has dragged on for more than two decades is that of Orlando Pirates and national soccer goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa. Meyiwa was killed in the presence of witnesses in 2014. To date, not a single person has been convicted, and his father died before he found closure. In addition, a 22-year-old Stellenbosch student, Inge Lotz, was murdered in 2005, and her killer(s) were never apprehended.
One hopes that Mothibi will crack the Deokaran case, having been the head of the SIU and now the national director of public prosecutions. Lest we forget, Ramaphosa appointed Mothibi, knowing that the latter is fast approaching his retirement age.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.