All six men accused of killing whistleblower Babita Deokaran have been handed lengthy prison terms in the High Court in Johannesburg.
They pleaded guilty to the charges of murder and attempted murder after the defence entered into a plea agreement with the state.
Deokaran was gunned down outside her home in Winchester Hills, south of Johannesburg, in August 2021.
She was a senior finance official in the Gauteng Health Department. At the time of her murder, she had flagged suspicious payments worth R850-milllion to various companies.
The court heard that the accused, who work in the taxi industry, colluded to kill Deokaran as she was seen as problematic.
State prosecutor Steven Rubin told the court that attempts were made to locate the accused days before the murder but this was unsuccessful.
On the day of Deokaran’s murder, 11 shots were fired into her vehicle.
The accused have all admitted to having a common purpose to killing Deokaran, and it’s believed the group was hired to carry out the hit. .
Her family and civil rights organisations continue to call for justice.
Related video | Deokaran family calls for prosecution of those who ordered Babita’s murder:
INFOGRAPHIC | What you need to know about Babita Deokaran’s murder trial:
BABITA DEOKARAN by SABC Digital News
