DA welcomes another court order for NGO to pay back Esidimeni money

28 October 2019

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the recent court order for the Precious Angels NGO to pay R681 112 to the Gauteng Health Department for irregular payment claims for Life Esidimeni patients.

This follows the court rulings in August that two other NGOs involved in Life Esidimeni, Anchor Centre and the Dorothy Evangeline Franks facility, payback R663 275 to the Gauteng Department of Health.

I commend the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for achieving at least some accountability for the 144 mental health patients who died in terrible circumstances in unsuitable NGOs.

It is far more important, however, that criminal charges are pursued as 23 of the 58 psychiatric patients transferred from Life Esidimeni to the Precious Angels NGO died in terrible circumstances according to the Health Ombudsman’s report.

I doubt whether the NGOs will even pay back all the money as they will probably be liquidated beforehand.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) needs to speed up the formal inquest they have promised into the 144 deaths to be presided over by a North Gauteng High Court Judge.

Justice needs to be seen to be done against all the perpetrators, who should face a range of charges including murder, culpable homicide, fraud and contraventions of the Mental Health Act.

The Provincial Government should also use the Apportionment of Damages Act to ensure that former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and her top officials pay from their own pockets towards the more than R300 million paid out to Esidimeni victims.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 28 October 2019