This archive report was first published on 22 September 2021.
On August 23, 2021, Babita Deokaran, a 53-year-old provincial government official, was tragically killed in Johannesburg after dropping off her child at school.
Deokaran's murder has sparked widespread concern about the safety of whistleblowers in South Africa, particularly in the context of the country's ongoing struggle with corruption.
As a key witness in an investigation into suspicious personal protective equipment tenders in the Gauteng province, Deokaran had been a crucial figure in exposing corruption in the public sector.
According to Corruption Watch, a watchdog organization that has been tracking corruption in South Africa, Deokaran's death is a stark reminder of the high stakes involved in exposing graft.
“Those brave enough to expose corruption continue to face threats to their lives from people acting with impunity, and the environment is even more hostile to whistleblowers,” Corruption Watch said in a report exposing “continued rot” in South Africa.
Despite the risks, the government has taken steps to protect whistleblowers, including the launch of a unit to safeguard their safety in public service.
Corruption Watch has stressed that guaranteeing the safety of whistleblowers is a matter of urgency to avoid discouraging people from testifying against corruption.
According to the organization, nearly 2,000 whistleblowers had helped show that corruption continued “unabated” during the first half of 2021 in both public and private sectors.
