Full range of Esidimeni criminal charges should be pursued

18 September 2019

The DA notes the decision of Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate George Baloyi to hold a formal inquest into all 144 deaths related to the Life Esidimeni tragedy.

We are concerned that the NPA says it does not have enough evidence at this stage for a successful prosecution, but we hope that the inquest presided over by a Pretoria High Court Judge will find grounds for murder and culpable homicide charges against health department officials and those at the NGOs where people died.

Other charges should also be considered, including corruption, contraventions of the Mental Health Act, fraud, theft, and the issuing of illegal licenses to NGOs.

These are easier to prove and can lead to quite harsh sentences.

We need to see accountability for the full range of wrongdoing in this dreadful matter.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 18 September 2019