Moseneke is restoring batho pele

ISN’T Justice Dikgang Moseneke a marvel? Isn’t the retired deputy chief justice the perfect person to chair the Life Esidimeni arbitration? As witness after witness tries to avoid taking responsibility for the Life Esidimeni tragedy, he rejects their prevarication, points out the contradictions in their evidence, asks searching questions and demands honest answers.

Suspended head of the Gauteng health department, Dr Tiego (Barney) Selebano, was the latest witness to experience his forthright questioning. After trying to avoid testifying, he took accountability for decisions which led to the death of 143 state psychiatric patients under his watch.

But, he said, officials were under pressure from former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu to cancel the contract with Life Esidimeni, and blamed her and Dr Makgabo Manamela, the suspended head of mental health services in the province, who led the disastrous project to transfer around 1 700 patients to illequipped NGOs.

WHEN Manamela had testified, she laid the blame on Mahlangu too, as well as Selebano. Eventually, she apologised to the families, saying she acknowledged and regretted what had happened.

Manamela and Selebano face disciplinary hearings for their role in it.

After all the buck-passing it will be interesting to see how Justice Moseneke deals with Mahlangu in the witness stand, but it is reasonable to expect that he will deliver a stinging judgment of incompetence, negligence, lack of care and unethical behaviour. Maybe he can even get those involved to show remorse.

Hopefully he can also ensure that government departments, not only health, are reminded that their function is to care for people – in line with their own batho pele principle – and for that we will have Justice Moseneke to thank.