DA spreading falsehood on Life Esidimeni compensation

28 February 2019

Premier David Makhura rejects with contempt, the lies and falsehood being spread by the Democratic Alliance’s Jack Bloom in relation to the compensation of 365 victims of the Life Esidimeni tragedy, as was determined by retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke.

Bloom has deliberately twisted the oral reply by Premier Makhura, presented during the sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, in order score cheap political points and hog news headlines. It is unfortunate that the DA has chosen the path of politicising this unforgivable tragedy and opened unhealed wounds of the affected families.

In his written reply, Premier Makhura emphatically stated that "the provincial government has paid 134 claimants named by retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke by 15 June 2018. These were the claimants who appeared at the Arbitration Hearing. After the Arbitration Award was issued on 19 March 2018, the provincial government received 365 additional claims".

The insinuations being peddled by Bloom that "the payments have been unduly delayed by inefficiency at the Premier’s Office, are baseless.

“Firstly, all the claims received are subjected to an assessment and verification process. Secondly, Government must establish the proximity of the relationship of the claimant to the Mental Health Care User. Thirdly, Government must be satisfied that the claimant is by law recognised to claim (i.e. the rightful person) and be paid the compensation. These steps are done to ensure that we do not pay wrong people and later we get sued. We want to protect the interest of the Mental Health Care Users, their estates, families and the state".

The Gauteng Provincial Government remains committed to pay all outstanding claimants guided by processes as determined by retired Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke.

Issued by, Castro Ngobese, Spokesperson for the Premier, the Gauteng Provincial Government, 28 February 2019