Cachalia denies Deokaran’s murder probe has been botched by procedural failures

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia on Tuesday denied to Parliament that the murder investigation of Tembisa Hospital whistleblower Babita Deokaran has been botched by procedural failures.

In response to questions from police committee chairperson Ian Cameron about the handling of the investigation, Cachalia said no internal review has been conducted because there have not been any problems with the probe.

While the triggermen were convicted for Deokaran’s assassination in 2023, the masterminds have not been arrested to date.

The police investigation into Deokaran’s death has been widely criticised by corruption watchdogs and political groups.

Media investigations suggested Deokaran’s technological devices were not properly analysed after she was shot and killed outside her home for blowing the lid on corrupt tenders at Tembisa Hospital, where she worked in the finance department.

But in response to parliamentary questions, Cachalia said a forensic investigation was conducted by the cybercrime department within Crime Intelligence.

He also quashed suggestions that a new investigating officer was appointed because of shoddy work.

Rather, he said following concerns raised by the media, the investigating officer was replaced for the purpose of continuing the probe, which is still ongoing.

“There is no Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation member that has been subjected to disciplinary, criminal or performance management processes as there was no evidence of misconduct by the investigating officer,” Cachalia said.

He added that acceding to a request from Cameron to submit the investigation report to Parliament would jeopardise the integrity of the criminal investigation, and it would be inappropriate to publicly discuss or comment on it to avoid influencing the outcome.