Families of Life Esidimeni victims denounce latest justice delay

Families of the Life Esidimeni victims have accused the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of dragging its feet on justice, nine years after they brutally lost their loved ones.

This follows the NPA’s disclosure to families that a legal opinion recommends prosecuting Qedani Mahlangu and Dr. Makgabo Manamela but only for two out of 144 people who lost their lives at the facility.

Last year, the Pretoria High Court handed down a landmark judgement which found that Mahlangu who was the former MEC of Health in Gauteng and Manamela who served as the former Head of the Mental Health Directorate were deemed responsible for the deaths of nine patients who were at the facility.

The innocent victims were, Virginia Machpelah, Deborah Phehla, Frans Dekker, Charity Ratsotso, Koketso Mogoerane, Terrence Chaba, Daniel Josiah, Matlakala Motsoahae, and Lucky Maseko.

The 2016–2017 tragedy shocked the nation after 144 mental health patients died when they were moved to ill-equipped and unlicensed non-government organisations.

Life Esidimeni Family Committee member, Christine Nxumalo, says they feel the NPA isn’t doing their work, as they had enough evidence and enough time to get them the justice they deserve.

Human rights organisation, Section 27, which represented 44 of the mental healthcare patients, has urged the NPA to act with urgency and bring to an end the delay of justice in this case.