Timeline: from warning about contract termination to mediation

June 2015 – SASOP sends letter to former MEC for health in Gauteng, Qedani Mahlangu and team warning about the likely consequences of terminating the contract with Life Esidimeni;

October 2015 – MEC announces termination of contract with Life Esidimeni;

November 2015 – SADAG, SASOP, SAFed and families engage with department about concerns;

December 2015 – concerns not adequately responded to, litigation is launched; a settlement agreement is reached with the department whereby it undertakes that nobody will be moved until there is agreement on the process and facilities;

December 2015 to March 2016 – parties engage but the department provides insufficient information to allow for consultation. It is clear from the information provided that the department’s plan has serious flaws;

February 18 2016 – a department press statement announces an extension of the contract – all mental healthcare users are to be out of Life Esidimeni facilities by the end of June 2016;

March 2016 – it emerges that the department plans to move 54 people – with diagnoses including “severe intellectual disability”, “hyper sexu and “psychosis” – to Takalani Home.

SADAG, SASOP, SAFed and families litigate against the department to prevent the move. The department denies these patients need mental healthcare services and the court rules in its favour;

June 2016 – all mental healthcare users are moved out of Life Esidimeni;

July 2016 until present – families search for loved ones – some were moved without their families being told where they were going to, others were moved multiple times before their families found them;

August 2016 – Christine Nxumalo finds out about the death of her sister, Virginia Machpelah, who was moved without her knowledge to Precious Angels NGO. She discovers after a trip to the funeral home that eight others from the same NGO have died. Nxumalo requests an inquest into her sister’s death;

September 13 2016 – the MEC announces, in response to a question in parliament, that 36 former residents of Life Esidimeni have died since their move;

September 15 2016 – the Minister of Health requests, after a “marathon meeting” with the MEC, that Health Ombud Professor Malegapuru Makgoba investigates the deaths;

September 16 2016 – a request is made to the police to conduct inquests into all deaths of former residents of Life Esidimeni;

November 2016 – the high court in Port Elizabeth stops similar closures of frail care centres in the Eastern Cape and appoints a curator to look after the interests of all residents at the facilities;

January 6 2017 – The ombud sends his report to the MEC, who agrees to make submissions on the report by January 13 2017;

January 12 2017 – the ombud invites media and interested parties to a briefing on January 18 to release the report;

January 13 2017 – the MEC asks for an extension until January 24;

January 24 2017 – the MEC makes submissions on the report; February 1 2017– the ombud’s report is released; and October 9 2017 – medicalmediation begins. — source: htp:/section27.org.za