Christine Nxumalo, whose sister was among those who died in the Life Esidimeni tragedy, says while they feel vindicated by yesterday’s inquest judgment, which found Qedani Mahlangu and Dr. Makgabo Manamela liable for the deaths of some former Esidimeni Life patients, they want the former Gauteng Health MEC, and the former provincial head of mental health charged with murder.
Yesterday, judge at the Gauteng high court in Pretoria, Mmonoa Teffo, found the two former high-ranking health officials liable for the deaths of nine of 144 mental health patients Esidimeni patients who died, while being moved to ill-equipped NGO facilities in 2016.
Nxumalo told YNews that they do not believe that culpable homicide is sufficient for the pain and sorrow the pair has caused to relatives of the deceased.
Andrew Pieterson whose uncle is among the few Life Esidimeni patients who were found alive but in server health conditions, says while he did not lose him in the tragedy, they are also hoping that the former officials face harsh consequences for their oversight.
Pieterson, whose uncle had been at the facility for over 40 years, says while they might have some anxiety on how long it might take the NPA to prosecute, they are patient enough.
Labour federation, Saftu, has also joined their calls, urging the NPA to begin prosecuting Mahlangu and Dr. Manamela for culpable homicide charges.
The federation says other individuals, including directors of those NGOs, must also be investigated and prosecuted, though this might be impeded by lack of evidence.
“Thus, Saftu supports Section27’s insistence that the owner of the Precious Angels NGO, Ethel Ncube, also be held liable. Further, we want all the executive directors of the NGOs such as Siyabadinga, Takalani, Tshepong, Hephzibah, etc., to be held liable for their gross negligence that caused the death of the patients,” it says.
Saftu National Spokesperson, Trevor Shaku, says the NGOs were not properly equipped and the staff was not equipped with the necessary experience to provide adequate care.
The DA has also weighed in, saying charges should also be laid against all those implicated in causing the suffering of the Esidimeni patients.
“It is a pity that the lack of autopsies for the other Esidimeni deaths precluded a firm negligence finding for the other deaths.”
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom, says criminal charges should be formulated as soon as possible, and a court date expedited so that justice is seen to be done without further delay.
The EFF has also laid blame with government, saying while it was aware of the situation with the NGOs, it still
failed to intervene to prevent it from escalating.
