MEC passes the buck for Esidimeni horrors

FORMER Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu shifted a lot of the blame to her subordinates when facing a barrage of questions about the Life Esidimeni tragedy that killed 143 psychiatric patients. “I was misled,” she claimed. Mahlangu sought to absolve herself of any wrongdoing as she made her much-anticipated appearance before the Life Esidimeni alternative dispute resolution hearing.

Mahlangu claimed that former head of department Dr Tiego Selebano and former head of mental health Dr Makgabo Manamela misled her and never informed her about problems in implementing the project.

Mahlangu claimed because she was a politician she was not privy to information regarding the project.

“It’s not possible for a politician to know every correspondence that comes to their desk,” Mahlangu said.

The former MEC shed some tears when she apologised to the families of the victims who packed the Emoyeni Conference Centre, the venue of the hearings.

“The patients’ transfer project was the most painful thing to ever happen to the country’s healthcare system. I want to send my sincere condolences to the families who lost their loved ones,” said Mahlangu.

She denied being negligent. Mahlangu said her department had “good intentions”.

The tears and pleas for forgiveness appeared to anger the families, who heckled her as she read through her prepared statement.

“We don’t care, don’t cry, we hope you tell the truth,” said one family member.

Security was tight outside the venue. The protesting crowds were not allowed into the venue and the gates were locked. Saftu and TAC members protested outside, with some screaming “Qedani you are a murderer”.

Mahlangu resigned last year, just before the release of Health Ombudsman Malegapuru Makgoba’s report into the deaths of more than 100 people when they were moved from Life Esidimeni facilities to NGOs.

ANC secretary- general Ace Magashule yesterday sought to distance his son from alleged corrupt activities by the controversial Gupta family in the Free State.

Last week, the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) took control of the multimillion-rand Estina dairy farm in the Free State and froze millions of rand in bank accounts of Atul Gupta and several companies linked to the Gupta family.

According to the Gupta e-mail leaks, Magashule’s son, Gift, has been in the employ of the Gupta family for seven years, starting in 2010 as a consultant.

The farm, near the remote agricultural town of Vrede, was established to benefit black farmers, but has become what has been described as a “cash cow” for the Gupta family through alleged corrupt dealings with senior politicians in the province.

The Free State’s agricultural department handed the farm to the Gupta family in 2013 on a 99-year lease, a questionable transaction that saw millions of rand being received by the Guptas and their allies.

The same year, the department, under then MEC Mosebenzi Zwane, current Mineral Resources minister, controversially paid around R220 million to the Guptas, R30m of which ended up funding the family’s lavish wedding in Sun City in the North West.

Around R220m in assets linked to the Guptas has now been seized by the AFU as they continue their clampdown on those implicated in state capture allegations.

The Gupta family has been accused of grooming both Zuma and Magashule’s sons as middle men to facilitate the covert looting of state resources.

Yesterday, Magashule tried to insulate his son from the corruption allegations against the Guptas.

“My son has been working for the Guptas, it has never been a secret. When I became a premier, he was working for the Guptas.

“My son is not involved in the Vrede dairy, so let the law take its own place in relation to the Vrede dairy and any acts of corruption, unlawfulness and all that.”

Magashule stressed that it was a universal principle that nobody was guilty until proven otherwise.

“Because we have adopted the resolution that we must fight corruption, this is what is happening. We are saying whenever there is corruption, the law must take its place, whether it is with Vrede dairy or any other thing,” he said.