R405 million paid to Life Esidimeni victims

20 February 2023 

The Gauteng Provincial Government has paid R405 million to those who suffered from the Life Esidimeni tragedy in 2016 when about 1500 mental patients were moved to unlicensed NGOs that failed to provide proper care.

This figure is revealed in a report tabled last week on Friday at a meeting of the Gauteng Legislature’s Health Committee.

According to the report, 514 claims were received of which 405 qualified to receive compensation of R1.2 million each, split 50/50 between the families and the Mental Health Care User if he or she is still alive.

There were originally 134 claimants who received compensation from the arbitration presided over by Justice Dikgang Moseneke in 2018. An additional 271 claimants have benefited from Moseneke’s recommendation that other victims should be paid compensation as well

Further amounts can be expected to be paid as only 60 Mental Health Care Users have so far received their portion of the funds. The Office of the Premier has applied for curators to administer these funds, and law firms have been appointed to assist families with an executor for the deceased claims

Meanwhile, the judicial inquest into the deaths of 144 Esidimeni patients has made slow progress since it started in July 2021 to establish criminal liability in this matter.

It is disappointing that no-one has been charged for the murders and the maltreatment seven years after this terrible event.

The payouts are necessary but cannot fully compensate for the suffering and the loss of lives. 

The inquest needs to speed up its proceedings as families will only have closure when the culprits are charged and sentenced.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 20 February 2023