Mahlangu yet again in the firing line for Esidimeni tragedy
A sixth senior former Gauteng health official to testify at the Life Esidimeni inquest has also lambasted former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu for allegedly not listening to experts’ advice that could have averted the death of 144 mental health patients who were transferred to ill-equipped and unsuitable NGOs.
The inquest is expected to cost the provincial government millions in legal fees for implicated former and current officials, who have been subpoenaed to give evidence.
Some of the attorney’s appointed for these officials include sought-after firms Werksmans Attorneys, Ramsay Webber Attorneys and Robert H Kanarek Attorneys.
Former Gauteng Department of Health deputy director Nonceba Sennelo was the latest witness during this past week to be cross-examined, out of the 36 officials expected to testify about their role in the tragedy.
In her eight days of testimony at the virtual inquest, being held in the High Court in Pretoria, Sennelo, a trained psychiatric nurse, said that Mahlangu did not want to hear any concerns about the dangers associated with the rushed transfer. All she was interested in was to have her mandate fulfilled before the termination date.
This was corroborated by Gauteng Health Department chief director of planning, policy and research, Levy Mosenogi, who told the inquest that Mahlangu was determined to go ahead with the marathon project, despite serious concerns raised by senior clinicians and departmental officials.
Sennelo said that when she repeatedly told director of mental health Dr Makgabo Manamela that the project was rushed and there were few NGOs to accommodate mental health care users (MHCUs), Manamela's response was “we should implement it, as it was a mandate from the MEC and an unusual situation”.
She further testified that her concerns about the number of NGOs that were based in Tshwane – and that this was going to affect the local hospital and clinics capacity in coping with these additional MHCUs – were not considered.
Sennelo said that the transfer of some of the patients was done with military buses provided by the NGOs themselves.
She also told the inquest that she visited Precious Angels, one of the NGOs, and found “patients crammed into a small house and sleeping in cots”.
“On the visit, I contacted Mamelala, on a Sunday, to inform her that Precious Angels, situated in Atteridgeville, was not a suitable place for mentally-ill patients... I questioned how this NGO was identified in the first instance, and I recommended the closure of this NGO as a matter of urgency.
“Manamela did not consider my recommendation at that stage, but promised to send other officials, including Hannah Jacobs, to verify my findings,” she told the inquest, set up to investigate whether anyone should be held criminally liable for the deaths in 2016.
The inquest has been adjourned until January 17 next year, when Jacobs, the Gauteng deputy director of mental health, is expected to take the stand.
Sunday Independent