New details have emerged in the case involving President Cyril Ramaphosa’s director-general Phindile Baleni, including that threats to her life could be linked to the assassination of former health official Babita Deokaran.
As a memorial service was held this week to remember Deokaran, who was gunned down in front of her house after dropping her child off at school a year ago, a preliminary police investigation into death threats levelled at Baleni has also allegedly uncovered that the bullet found at her home came from a government facility.
Sources close to the matter claimed that Baleni had worked closely with Deokaran when she was director general in the premier’s office to recoup R120-million stolen through a personal protective equipment (PPE) corruption tender.
In June, an unknown person flung a letter containing a bullet into Baleni’s driveway. In the letter, Baleni – who is Ramaphosa’s most senior administrative staffer running the Presidency – was warned that she should “advise the justice to release suspect of Babita Deokaran, no case against them”.
It has come to light the bullet’s serial number was erased.
A source close to the case said the targeting of Baleni had less to do with state capture cases, but more to do with her tenure in the Gauteng government. “We are finding that her problems arose from the Gauteng government. Remember she was close to Babita. They recouped R120-million of PPE [money], which was already paid to people.
“What is also not known to the public is that she uncovered more than R1.4-billion in corruption [involving] Gauteng government property,” the source said.
Following reports of threats to Baleni’s life, Deokaran’s family issued a statement, saying “we trust that she [Baleni] will receive full protection from our government and that no other lives will be lost in the fight against corruption”.
On Friday, Gauteng premier David Makhura suspended the chief financial officer (CFO) of the health department, Lerato Madyo, in connection with alleged corruption related to procurement and payment of service providers at Tembisa Hospital. However, questions have been raised on the reasons for Madyo’s suspension.
In September last year, Sunday World reported that 12 days before she was gunned down execution-style, Deokaran had told Madyo in the department of health about her fears over her personal safety because of the dodgy payments she had stopped to some contractors at Tembisa Hospital.
On the morning of Wednesday August 11, Deokaran, then chief director of financial accounting in the department, sent a chilling WhatsApp message to Madyo. “Morning CFO, I am just worried that the guys in Tembisa are going to realise we are not releasing their payments and know that we are on to something. Our lives could be in danger,” she said.
In reply, Madyo said she had requested the head of the department, Sibongile Zungu, to approve a budget for a forensic investigation into the contracts.
“Thank you. I am praying that she [Zungu] grants approval soon, so that we can start. Thank you for the support,” Deokaran told Madyo at 8.25am on that day.
Twelve days later, on Monday August 23 at around 8.20am, Deokaran died in a hail of bullets outside her home in the south of Johannesburg.
Makhura said on Friday that the current head of the department of health, Nomonde Nolutshungu, informed him of the death threats through an e-mail.
“I immediately directed the Gauteng provincial commissioner of the SAPS, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela, to take appropriate steps to address these threats and find those
responsible.
“The state has a duty to protect whistleblowers and upright public servants.
“We will never surrender to the crooks and corrupt elements and will do everything in our power to fight corruption and state capture with every iota of our being.”
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