“We did things terribly wrong” - suspended head of Gauteng health
7 December 2017
Johannesburg - Suspended head of the Gauteng health department, Barney Selebano, has admitted that he “didn’t fathom that such a tragedy could take place,” conceding that his department did not follow advice.
“We did things wrong by not heeding to advice, by not listening to other people,” he said.
It was his second day giving evidence at the Life Esidimeni arbitration in Parktown, Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Selebano said that he took responsibility for the "regrettable" deaths of more than 140 mentally ill patients who died when they were moved to different ill-equipped non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across the province.