If she had things her way, Jabulile Hlatshwayo, whose son was among 141 patients who died in the Life Esidimeni tragedy, would relish the opportunity to design prison gear for former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu should she be convicted and sentenced for her part in the disaster.
“My son died like a dog with no home,” Hlatshwayo told Sunday World this week.
On Wednesday, judge Mmonoa Teffo found that the deaths in 2016 could have been avoided had the health bigwigs listened to experts who warned them against such a rushed move involving patients who depended on specialist care.
She said Mahlangu and former head of Gauteng Mental Health Dr Makgabo Manamela negligently caused the deaths of nine patients – Matlakala Motsoahae, Virginia Machpelah, Terence Chala, Lucky Maseko, Deborah Phehla, Charity Ratsotso, Frans Dekker, Koketso Mogoerane and Daniel Josiah.
Hlatshwayo still breaks down when she talks about her stepson, Sizwe Hlatshwayo, who died after he was moved from Life Esidimeni Waverley care centre in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, to ill-equipped or unregistered NGOs in Pretoria and Cullinan.
“I wish to see Qedani arrested; that woman is cruel. She is rude,” said Hlatshwayo, recalling a meeting in which Mahlangu told them that in Brazil, families looked after mentally ill relatives at home. “I will personally design the overall that she will wear in prison,” she seethed.
Hlatshwayo said justice would also be served when Manamela was behind bars. She said the day before Sizwe’s burial, Manamela ordered that they halt the funeral to perform a post-mortem. “They had Sizwe for more than a month after he died. Why didn’t they do the postmortem then?” she asked.
Suzen Phoshoko, whose 28-year-old nephew, Terence Chala, died after being moved, said the prosecutions had to also include former Gauteng premier David Makhura. “He must also be charged.
All those involved, from Makhura right to the bottom, must be charged.”
Phoshoko said the family found out while watching TV that Chala was one of the people who were moved to unqualified NGOs. “He had been dead for weeks before the family was notified.
“We were there to identify his remains. His post-mortem, which I requested, found that he was hungry, and had pneumonia and bed sores,” she said.
Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the national director of public prosecutions was studying the judgment to determine whether to institute criminal prosecutions against Mahlangu and Manamela.
“It should be noted that an inquest does not equate to a trial-ready case as there may be additional criminal investigations that need to be conducted.”
Mahanjana said the NPA would prioritise the matter.
