141 people with mental illness died after being transferred to unlicensed and ill-equipped NGOs (Photo: Areto Pretorius/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
TThe Life Esidimeni inquest found that the deaths of 141 mental health patients in 2016 were due to negligence on the part of former Gauteng health minister Kedani Mahlangu and former Gauteng mental health director Makugabo Manamela.
In 2015 and 2016, more than 2,000 patients were transferred to ill-equipped and unlicensed NGOs after the Gauteng health department terminated its contract with Life Essidemi.
Handing down the ruling in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday, Justice Mumonoa Teffo said Mahlangu had terminated Life Essidemini's contract with the Gauteng health department despite repeated requests from mental health experts not to do so.
“Having heard all the evidence at this inquest, I have concluded that the victim's death was the result of negligence, acting on the part of Ms Mahlangu and Dr Manamela,” Mr Tefo said.
The post-mortem examination found that Manamela had failed to report that the NGO to which the patients were transferred was not adequately equipped to deal with them.
“She could have saved many lives by visiting NGOs and finding that they were poorly equipped and some of their staff were not fully qualified to care for mental health clients,” Tefo said.
He added that nine of the patients died of hunger, malnutrition and pneumonia.
According to patient records read by Tefo, many of the bodies were not sent for autopsies.
An inquest into the death began in July 2021 and concluded in November 2023.
