NGO where 9 Esidimeni patients died illegal

JOHANNESBURG: Siyabadinga NGO, where nine psychiatric patients died, had no operating licence or professional medical staff, the Esidimeni arbitration hearing heard yesterday.

Chief executive Dianne Noyile made the shocking revelation while also admitting she had used a licence belonging to another NGO.

Siyabadinga received 73 patients from Cullinan Care and Rehabilitation Centre (CCRC) to make space for more patients at the Pretoria facility. In addition, the NGO received three other psychiatric patients directly from Life Esidimeni, said Noyile.

“There was no licence for Siyabadinga, the licence delivered to us was for Life Disciples International in June 2016. We had meetings with Tshwane director of mental health, and we were promised that licence processes for Siyabadinga were under way.”

Prior to accommodating the mentally ill patients, Siyabadinga operated as a daycare centre for the elderly and disabled adults in Khangala.

She said she ran Siyabadinga for three months before it was shut down at the recommendation of Health Ombudsman Malegapuru Makgoba.

There was a lot of pressure from the department to accommodate the patients, she said. “It was late afternoon, and there was a bus full of patients in our yard… the officials who included Dr Manamela did not know where to take them. They said ‘please take these patients, we do not know where to take them’,” testified Noyile.

Chairperson of the arbitration, retired Justice Dikgang Moseneke, asked Noyile why she agreed to take patients when she did not have resources to ensure their well-being. “Did you think you were capable of caring for such vulnerable people, even though you did not have the means to do so?” he asked.

Noyile replied: “At the time I did, Justice.” – ANA