Testimony of Life Esidimeni horror from social worker

EIGHT months after Life Esidimeni patient Joseph Gumede died in NGO Anchor Care Centre‚ his family was told of his death.

Daphne Ndhlovu‚ a social worker from Cullinan Care Rehabilitation Centre‚ was only sent to tell the family in February‚ although Gumede died in July 2016.

Ndhlovu testified to this at the arbitration hearings being held over three weeks in Johannesburg‚ to provide answers to families as to why over 141 mentally ill patients died when moved from Life Esidimeni.

Gumede had been at Anchor‚ a makeshift home set up on the state’s Cullinan Care Rehabilitation Centre’s premises to look after Life Esidimeni patients. Ndhlovu didn’t know about Gumede’s death as she didn’t work at Anchor but next door at Cullinan. She told Gumede’s family: “Please don’t kill the messenger. I was sent with a message.”

She told the arbitration hearing: “It was the first time the family was hearing he had passed on. They were very upset.”

The problems started when Cullinan received too many people from Life Esidimeni. It was licensed to take 150 people‚ but there were 267 there last year‚ Ndlovu testified.

Two NGOs were opened on the premises of Cullinan to look after the extra patients. Some people were discharged to make way for Esidimeni patients. At least eight Cullinan patients died in NGOs.

Ndlovu testified that the NGOs employed no professional staff or nurses or doctors.

About 60% of patients came with no medical records or medication‚ said Ndlovu.

The presiding officer, retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, said: “I am trying to understand how a person is admitted into an institution‚ and within a month or two they die of dehydration.”

Ndlovu denied patients at Cullinan had gone without food and water. She said the centre was forced to take more patients than it could by the Gauteng health department.

When the CEO objected to the NGOs she was suspended. — DDC

● See also page 11