Bhisho misses court deadline

THE Eastern Cape department of social development has missed a court ordered deadline to file affidavits pertaining to their plan to move patients from the Lorraine and Algoa Frail Care centres into the care of NGOs.

In June last year the department did not renew its contract with East Cape Frail Care – a subsidiary of the Life Healthcare group – to run the two centres under the Life Esidimeni banner.

MEC for social development, Nancy Sihlwayi, motivated the termination of the contract by saying that they could no longer afford to pay R18 000 a patient, that they were trying to address inequality in the frail care sector, and that they wished to restructure this type of care in the province.

The contract was to expire on December 31 but the Frail Care Crisis Collective (FCCC), a group of families with loved ones in the two frail cares, obtained a court order to stop patients from being transferred into the care of community organisations.

East Cape Frail Care also agreed to continue running the centres until the court case has been finalised.

In February the department asked for the matter to be postponed to May 25. The department has advertised twice for interested NGOs to take over care of the patients. At first they offered R4 000 a patient but in the latest advertisement they said they would be open to negotiation.

Sihlwayi’s spokesman Mzukisi Solani said in February that they were cooperating with the court and will file a plan with the court. The deadline to file affidavits was last Friday.

Solani did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.

However, court officials confirmed that no documents were filed by the department on Friday. According to an e-mail sent by the state attorney, the department will only be filing their papers later this month.

Gerhardt Loock, from the FCCC, said they were informed by their lawyers, Legal Aid SA, that the department missed its deadline to file affidavits.

DA spokesman for social development, Kobus Botha, said this failure to comply, highlighted the lack of leadership and operational efficiency that existed within the department.

Robin Ownhouse, from the FCCC, said the wait was proving to be agonising for the families involved.

Ownhouse said they have called a meeting for all families for this Saturday from 4pm to 5pm at Algoa Frail Care. — TMG