Bheki Cele believes Deokaran murder suspects linked to taxi violence

Police Minister Bheki Cele said that the gunmen involved in the killing of Gauteng Health Department whistleblower, Babita Deokaran, could be linked to taxi violence.

Cele confirmed on Thursday that two more people had been arrested in connection with Deokaran’s murder but did not say where. He did, however, add that police had seized a gun and two cars containing large sums of cash.

Deokaran was shot outside her Johannesburg south home last month shortly after dropping off her child at school. She was a senior finance official in the Health Department and a key witness in the Special Investigative Unit’s probe into the multimillion-rand PPE scandal in Gauteng.

Cele believes that there is a link to some people in the taxi industry.

“Somebody has just raised an issue that they’re also involved in taxi violence, including Gauteng taxi violence in a big way,” he said.

The latest arrests bring to nine the number of suspects rounded up in connection with the crime.

Six of them have already appeared in court, while officials said that they did not have enough evidence against the seventh person.

-EWN

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