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In what has been termed the biggest health scandal in the history of South Africa, the nation mourns the untimely deaths of 94 mentally-ill patients who were transferred from Life Esidimeni Healthcare into unlicensed non-governmental organisations last year.
During March 23 and December 19, these patients found themselves as the victims of neglect and died one by one.
This account of the events surrounding the deaths of 94 psychiatric patients from Life Esidimeni Healthcare was based on the report by the health ombud which was released yesterday, led by Professor Malegapuru Makgoba.
Titled “No guns: 94+ silent deaths and still counting”, the report was put together by a panel of experts including psychiatrists and first-hand accounts from 73 individuals, families and relatives of the deceased, who gave the health ombud insight into the treatment of their respective family members’ lived experiences during this devastating ordeal.
Using media reports as well their own investigations into the deaths, the report showcased the ill-treatment of these patients while at the 27 non-governmental organisations.
One of these media reports was published in Die Beeld newspaper on September 20 last year, into the mistreatment of Freddie Collitz, who had died while in the care of the Mosego Home in Krugersdorp, an old-age home for psychiatric patients. He was 61 at the time. This was included in the health ombud report.
Collitz suffered from depression and, just before his death, he reportedly had a wound to his head, blisters around his ankles and a sore on his nose. When asked about his injuries every time the family visited, the home told them that he fallen down.
His wife Marie, was not informed about her husband’s death, despite phoning the home that evening to enquire about his health.
“Freddie’s death certificate indicated that he passed away at 5pm from natural causes.
“They also did not inform me immediately when he passed away,” said Marie. “That evening I phoned at about 5.30pm and all they told me, is that he is asleep.”
When their eldest son, Freddie jnr, phoned the next day, he was asked if he didn’t know that his father had died, the Beeld reported.
The following also surfaced from the report in relation to the non-governmental organisations, which were allocated by the health department, according to the families of 12 of the deceased:
» The NGOs were not “fit for purpose”; some were still undergoing major renovations and others did not have staff, but patients were already placed there;
» Some relatives were unexpectedly offered “food parcels” by the director of mental health, Dr Makgabo Manamela “possibly to quieten them down”; and
» Some NGOs were “like concentration camps”, overcrowded with “in-kept” and hungry patients, and several relatives reported severe weight loss captured on photographs.
In the ombud’s findings, all 27 organisations to which the patients were transferred operated under invalid licenses.
95.1% deaths occurred at the NGOs from those patients directly transferred from Life Healthcare Esidimeni.
Meanwhile, parties have called for criminal charges to be laid against the former MEC and the province’s premier, David Makhura, over what the Economic Freedom Fighters called the “massacre” of psychiatric patients.
The EFF also called Mahlangu a “killer” and today laid charges at the Johannesburg central police station.
The party said Makhura and Mahlangu were culpable for the deaths of the patients, and members of the provincial legislature would also be laying charges against the 27 NGOs and anyone else implicated in the killing of the 94 patients.
The ANC Youth League also indicated its wish pursue charges of murder against Mahlangu, saying it would visit the affected families after going to the nearest police station.
“We are going to lay charges against the premier because there is no way the MEC would have acted without informing the principal, [in this case] being the premier,” ANC Youth League chairperson Matome Chiloane said.
Chiloane says Makhura and Mahlangu waited far too long to act on the deaths of the patients.
Democratic Alliance Gauteng health spokesperson Jack Bloom said that it took 141 days for Mahlangu to resign “following the first disclosure of deaths in reply to my question in the Gauteng Legislature on September 13 last year”.
“Premier [David] Makhura has failed badly in this matter and needs to keep his promises to ensure that action is taken against all those implicated‚ including criminal charges,” he said.
Bloom expressed dissatisfaction of Mahlangu’s replacement‚ Dr Gwen Ramokgopa‚ whom he says was a poor MEC when she was in charge.
“I am not impressed with the return of Dr Gwen Ramokgopa as MEC of the Gauteng health department‚” said Bloom.
“She was mediocre in this position previously and does not have the drive to fix this deeply dysfunctional department.”
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