Former MEC for health in Gauteng Qedani Mahlangu told the Life Esidimeni inquest that she does not know if she was misled intentionally.
“I wish to say I stand by what I said when I said I was misled, but what I am not certain about is whether I was misled intentionally, or I was misled with an intention for people to commit negligence. This is my submission to the court,” she said at the Pretoria High Court, where she appeared virtually on Thursday.
Mahlangu told the court that she has been struggling and continues to struggle, as the past seven days have been hard on her.
“I am profusely sorry for what has happened because the most vulnerable members lost their lives,” said the former MEC. “I hope that one day I will be able to find closure and the families too, in whatever way.”
Senior counsel Laurance Hodes asked her if she ever received any benefit of any nature, personal or financial, from the termination of Life Esidimeni service level agreement, to which Mahlangu said she did not benefit.
“As I have said, the decision was taken by the PBC [provincial budget committee], chaired by the then Gauteng premier David Makhura. I was present in that meeting and I was part of decision-making,” she said.
“The premier was fully aware in all the speeches he made about the department of health, how it was doing, and sometimes making comments about Life Esidimeni.
“Whatever information that I might have not given him, it is information that I also did not have, because if I had information with confidence I would have gone to him and said premier, things here did not go right. I stand by that, and I will do so till the very end.”
The inquest continues
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