Limpopo Social Development MEC Florence Radzilani has shut down the notorious Vutlhari Old Age and Disability Centre.
The closure comes after her team uncovered serious violations of the rights of people living with disabilities and older persons during her oversight visit to the hospice this week.
Authorities and civil society feared that this centre could see a repeat of the Life Esidimeni tragedy.
Life Esidimeni relates to the Gauteng public health tragedy that resulted in the deaths of mentally ill patients.
Visited home with experts
Radzilani said she took a team of experts to assess the old age home at Roerfontein in the Sekgosese area. This after concerns were raised over the alleged human rights abuses and unsanitary living conditions at the facility.
Radzilani described the conditions of the facility as unacceptable and requiring urgent attention.
“We found out that the centre is not registered with our department and is non-compliant. Therefore it cannot continue operating. We are going to ensure that those who do not have relatives are booked in other centres in the province.
“A team of investigators is currently doing assessments of the conditions under which people are admitted to the centre. An investigation looking into malpractice and inhumane conditions is currently underway,” said Radzilani.
At the time of its shutting down, the centre was home to just over 20 patients.
Established in 1998, it was the only hospice that served villagers in an area. The area has a population of over 46, 000 residents.
Since inception, it has housed terminally ill people, the blind, orphans and psychiatric patients.
Social media reports painted grim picture of old age home
People on social media posted that older people were subjected to sleeping on the floor with a thin, tattered blanket. They were subjected to malnutrition and expired medication.
The facility looks like an abandoned building with shattered windowpanes replaced with rusted sheets of corrugated iron. The walls are cracked and crumbling, and some of the structures don’t have doors and roofs.
The hospice’s owner, Pheko Baloyi, has denied allegations of ill-treatment of patients and misuse of Sassa grants.
He said he was doing his best to fulfil his vision as he was called by God to run the centre.
“I am doing all I can with limited resources from meagre funding coming from donations. While the government is doing nothing to help the dire situation. These broken windows were shattered by mentally ill patients who also broke a television set,” said Baloyi.
Tlou Moabelo is the chairperson of the NGO Conty Lebepe Foundation. He said they were alerted by concerned community members and families of the affected older people who complained about inhumane treatment at Vuthlari.
MEC intervention forced closure, action
Moabelo said during their visit to the centre, they found older people curled in blankets on concrete floors. Some of them with sores all over their bodies.
“We visited the centre on 19 September and the situation was appalling. The centre was shockingly filthy, unhygienic and unsafe for older people. Some patients had soiled themselves and it was worrying to see staff working without protective clothing.
“We also discovered that when one patient is very sick, they are fed with mageu (instant soft porridge). It gets mixed with cheap yoghurt,” Moabelo said.
She said they immediately wrote a letter calling for Radzilani’s intervention.
