Jeff Wicks is a South African investigative journalist with the online news outlet News24. He has reported on corruption, organised crime and police accountability.About Jeff Wicks, NP Publishers, accessed 26 February 2026 He is best known for his News24 work Silenced, a series exposing the circumstances that led to the assassination of whistleblower Babita Deokaran in Johannesburg on 23 August 2021.Babita Deokaran, investigative journalism, whistleblowing, and the cost of exposing corruption, Daily Maverick, 26 August 2025 He is also the author of the book The Shadow State: Why Babita Deokaran Had to Die.
He has led and contributed to investigations into the assassination of Anti-Gang Unit detective Charl Kinnear, alleged police hit squads targeting figures in the gang underworld and tobacco trade and corruption within the South African Police Service. His reporting on the assassination of Deokaran was shortlisted for the Global Shining Light Award, which recognises investigative journalism conducted under threat or difficult conditions in developing countries.
He is a two-time recipient of the Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism and received the Nat Nakasa Award for courageous journalism in 2024.News24 investigative journalists handed prestigious award for courageous journalism, News24, 14 August 2024
He is also a recipient of the 2023 and 2025 Vodacom Journalism Awards.Here are the winners of the Vodacom Journalism Awards, Ground up, 1 December 2023News24 bags 7 vodacom awards, News24, 4 December 2025
Works Silenced (News24 series) Wicks, Jeff (2025).The Shadow State. Why Babita Deokaran Had to Die. South Africa: Tafelberg.
References
External links Jeff Wicks speaks about how syndicates bled Tembisa Hospital of billions, Moneyweb, October 3, 2025