ABOUT THE BOOK:
On August 23 2021, Babita Deokaran — a hardworking single mother and chief accountant at the Gauteng department of health — was shot down outside her home. The izinkabi paid to kill her were caught, but the question remained: who ordered her murder, and why?
Investigative journalist Jeff Wicks set out to find the answer. This quest would profoundly change and even endanger his life, as he bravely followed the leads Deokaran had left behind. Leads that the Hawks, who were officially investigating her assassination, had failed to act on.
In The Shadow State Wicks uncovers an audacious web of crooked officials, ANC politicians and extraction syndicates — including that of the notorious “Cat” Matlala — siphoning away billions meant for patients in Gauteng’s state hospitals.
An explosive, fast-paced investigation into greed and state capture, this book is also a moving tribute to the courage of one woman who, when confronted by powerful wrongdoers, refused to keep quiet.
LISTEN TO HUNTER AND WICKS' CONVERSATION HERE:
WATCH HUNTER AND WICKS' CONVERSATION HERE:
Jeff Wicks is a journalist with News24’s investigations team based in Johannesburg. In his career spanning nearly two decades, he has carved a niche for himself covering dark elements of the criminal underworld, organised crime and targeted killings. Wicks spearheaded several high-profile investigative projects, including those into the assassination of Anti-Gang Unit detective Charl Kinnear, a police killing-crew targeting figures in the gang world and tobacco trade, and corrupt cops who have infiltrated the rank and file of the police. He is a two-time winner of the Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism and in 2024 was the recipient of the Nat Nakasa Award for courageous journalism. His work on the assassination of Deokaran was shortlisted for the Global Shining Light Award, recognising watchdog journalism in developing countries done under threat, duress or in the direst of conditions. He is the co-author of the best-seller Eight Days in July.
Qaanitah Hunter is an award-winning political journalist and editor. She is a media industry leader in South Africa and a highly regarded commentator and columnist. Hunter hosts conversations with power brokers and writes for international platforms. She is a highly regarded keynote speaker with a keen interest in politics, democracy and the African continent. She is a best-selling author and co-authored the book Who Will Rule SA? Hunter has received many awards, including the prestigious Nat Nakasa Award for bravery in 2019. In 2023, she was an R Murrow journalism leadership fellow in the US. She is a mental health and media freedom activist. She graduated with a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Witwatersrand.
