Babita Deokaran
Annual Lecture
Venue: Yellowwood Room (Belville Park Campus)
Date: 9 December 2025
Time: 10h00 – 16h00 (SAST)
The Anti-Corruption Centre for Education and Research (ACCERUS) at Stellenbosch University’s School of Public Leadership is launching the Babita Deokaran Annual Lecture. This initiative marks four years since Babita’s assassination on 23 August 2021, outside her Johannesburg home. At the time, she was Acting CFO of the Gauteng Department of Health and a key witness in PPE procurement investigations. Her fearless exposure of corruption, including halting over R850 million in suspicious payments at Tembisa Hospital, made her a beacon of integrity. Despite her critical role, she received no protection, and her murder remains a chilling reminder of whistleblower vulnerability. Her courage earned national and international recognition, including many awards. The Zondo Commission underscored systemic failures in whistleblower protection, making this lecture both timely and necessary. It will honour Babita’s legacy, amplify her message, and call for stronger safeguards for truth-tellers. Supported by the Deokaran family, the lecture will unite public, private, civil society, and anti-corruption partners. Through this platform, we affirm that South Africa must never silence voices committed to ethical governance.
Link to the event
Link to the event