THE killing of a South African health official providing evidence about an allegedly corrupt contract to purchase COVID-19 personal protective equipment has sparked calls for better protection of whistleblowers in the country.
Babita Deokaran, 53, the Department of Health’s chief director of financial accounting, was shot and killed outside her home in Johannesburg this week. She was a key witness in investigations into suspect contracts worth millions of rands (dollars).
Deokaran was shot multiple times after dropping her child off at school in an apparent hit.
Police announced Friday that seven people have been arrested for Deokoran’s killing and will appear in court on murder charges.
Although South Africa has is legislation to protect whistleblowers, more that needs to be done, Richard Chelin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Security Studies, said.
“The moment that somebody starts becoming important in a corruption investigation, there is always a threat to
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