A Gauteng businessman suspected of being the mastermind behind the gruesome murder of whistleblower Babita Deokaran is being criminally investigated for organising a hit on television actress and influencer Tebogo Thobejane.
The businessman, reportedly under criminal investigation for corrupt tenders at Prasa, cannot be named at this stage.
Well-placed sources close to Thobejane’s investigation alleged that Crime Intelligence unit members who were investigating the man’s alleged involvement in looting Prasa obtained a search and seizure warrant against him. They then descended on his houses in Pretoria and Joburg and combed them for possible incriminating evidence.
The police found and confiscated his cellphone, said the source. They downloaded the contents of the phone and stumbled upon WhatsApp messages between the businessman and the two hitmen who were arrested in connection with the attempt on Thobejane’s life.
It is alleged that in one of the messages, the businessman told the assassins to “shoot her in the face so that her family doesn’t recognise her”.
Thobejane and her friend were ambushed on the N1 highway near Sandton, and their car was sprayed with a hail of bullets in October 2023.
Thobejane, who acted in the Tshivenda soap opera Muvhango, was shot in the foot while her friend was shot in the spinal cord.
Thobejane has recuperated, but her friend is still languishing in hospital, facing the prospect of never being able to walk again.
The Sunday World source said the police also chanced upon proof of payment the businessman sent to the nkabis to carry out the hit. “I can’t remember the amount, but the police found the proof of payment,” said the source.
It is not known why the businessman wanted Thobejane dead, but Sunday World understands they had known each other for a while.
On April 13, Thobejane wrote a letter to the NPA headquarters, which we have seen, complaining about the prosecutor’s procrastination in arresting the kingpin, saying that he is not incarcerated because he is minted
“It has now been over two years since the incident that shook my world. Though a number of perpetrators have been arrested, the main orchestrator – the person truly responsible – has not been brought to justice … despite the information that has long been available,” she stated in the letter.
“I am writing to you out of urgency, frustration, and pain. My son has fallen into depression. I am on the verge of bankruptcy.
“My name, my image, and my opportunities have been stained by the trauma inflicted upon me and the silence that followed.
“What is most alarming is the perception – whether true or not – that power, wealth, and influence are standing in the way of justice.
“While I struggle to rebuild, those responsible live freely, protected by what appears to be systemic inaction. “I ask you directly: Are we waiting for me to die before justice is served?,” she asked.
Thobejane demanded the immediate arrest and the prosecution of the businessman.
Immediately after sending her letter, NPA instructed its South Gauteng head Andrew Chauke to take over the docket. He confirmed this week that he had received a letter from Thobejane and NPA boss Adv Shamila Batohi asking him why the businessman has not been arrested.
“I can confirm that my office received a letter from a well-known actress asking me to look into why the alleged mastermind behind the plot to kill her isn’t arrested after the hitmen were nabbed.
“I have put together a small team to look into the matter, and I am expecting a full brief from them before the end of the month,” Chauke said.
Chauke promised that whoever is behind the delay would face the wrath of the law.
