Deokaran remembered for her integrity, compassion five years on – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa’s news leader.
The family of the late Babita Deokaran say they will always remember her as a loving and caring person who lived her life with integrity.
Deokaran was a senior official in the Gauteng Department of Health and a whistleblower who was assassinated outside her home on August 23, 2021.
Shri Mariamman Temple honours Babita Deokaran with prayer in Mount Edgecombe, Durban, on the 5th anniversary of her death
Seelan Archary says they hold this prayer for the first-time on the day Deokaran was gunned down outside her home in Johannesburg after exposing fraud and… pic.twitter.com/db5GsZ9PTX
— SABC News (@SABCNews) August 23, 2026
She had exposed R850 million in suspicious and fraudulent payments, as well as tender irregularities at Tembisa Hospital.
On Sunday morning, the Shri Mariammen Temple in Mount Edgecombe in Durban, together with her family, held a prayer service to commemorate the fifth anniversary of her assassination.
Deokaran’s brother, Soorash, says five years later, the family remains heartbroken by the way she was taken away from them.
“This is the fifth year since Babita has been taken from us. She was very humble and she never refused to help anybody at any given point. She cared for everyone and lived a life of integrity and it’s very heartbreaking for us today. In fact, every year when it comes to this time, it hurts to be reminded of how brutally she was taken away from us.”