The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria is expected to deliver a judgment in the Life Esidimeni inquest on July 10.
The purpose of the inquest was for the court to determine who should be held accountable for the deaths of 141 mentally ill patients who died after they were transferred from Life Esidimeni facilities in 2015 and 2016 to ill-equipped Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
The move was implemented as a cost-cutting measure, and patients were sent to ill-equipped facilities after officials failed to conduct due diligence, leading to most of them dying from hunger and hypothermia.
Judge Mmonoa Teffo will recommend to the National Prosecuting Authority whether anyone should be held criminally liable for the deaths.
Section27 represented 44 mental healthcare users who died in conditions of extreme neglect, with many of them being emaciated, dehydrated, and suffering from bed sores.
At the inquest, Section27 argued that former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu, former Director of the Mental Health Directorate Dr. Makgabo Manamela, and the owner of Precious Angels NGO should be charged with culpable homicide for their involvement in the tragic deaths of the victims.
Former Gauteng Premier David Makhura told the Life Esidimeni that when he inquired about the number of patients who had died, he was told that deaths of mental health patients at their facilities were not unusual and considered normal.
Makhura said when he first heard that patients were dying, he arranged a meeting with former Gauteng MEC of Health Qedani Mahlangu.
He said during the meeting, Mahlangu and her team made a presentation where they compared the number of deaths which had occurred in the past and what was currently happening and said it was a normal trend.
However, during her evidence at the inquest, Mahlangu threw Makhura under the bus, and blamed him for the transfer of mental health patients from Life Esidimeni to bogus care centres.
“The ultimate decision to transfer the mental health patients was taken by the premier,” Mahlangu said at the time.
Section27 said it recognises that the judgment cannot restore lost lives and dignity, but it carries the potential to enhance public confidence and reinforce accountability in governance.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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