Former Gauteng MEC for health Qedani Mahlangu’s virtual cross-examination on the inquiry into the Life Esidimeni calamity is under way in the high court in Pretoria.
During her last virtual appearance, Mahlangu said the relocation of mental health patients from Life Esidimeni facilities to ill-equipped non-government organisations was unfortunate and deeply regrettable.
The cross-examination started with hiccups and disturbances after Mahlangu was called into order for deviating from answering direct questions.
Advocate Adila Hassim, representing public interest law centre Section27 and the families of mental health patients who died in the tragedy, dealt with a letter from the Society of Psychiatrists on its concern about the reduction of beds at Life Esidimeni.
In April, the inquest was postponed due to non-payment of Mahlangu’s lawyers by the state attorney.
When the court proceedings resumed early in May, Mahlangu testified: “The reason behind the removal of the patients was part of reintegrating them into communities to be part and parcel of society rather than leaving them locked up in institutions as per international best practice,” she said.
She further expressed her condolences to the families of the deceased patients, adding that she found the department’s finances in a precarious state when she became the MEC for health.
She also highlighted that the situation had not improved when she was redeployed to the department in 2014.
According to her, the department had been put under section 8 of the Public Finance Management Act to be assisted by Treasury with extra resources.
The inquest has heard that Mahlangu was responsible for the removal of mentally ill patients from Life Esidimeni and ended the contract with the facility citing budgetary constraints.
The inquest will reveal if the implicated officials should be held criminally accountable for the deaths of 144 mental health patients and 21 patients who were confirmed missing since 2016.
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