Life Esidimeni death toll climbs to 141

at NGOs.”

Retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke remarked that there would be no justice for the relatives and families if there was no documentation of their loved ones’ deaths. Kenoshi agreed.

Justice Moseneke said perhaps the police should be subpoenaed to hand over postmortem reports, as families wanted to know the reasons for the deaths of their loved ones.

Kenoshi, who took over after the suspension of Barney Selebano, said 1 197 mental patients had survived the Esidimeni marathon relocation project.

At least 31 of them were at NGOs, 393 with families at home and the rest at state psychiatric hospitals.

“It’s important to state that I need to verify the number of those at home, because, as I said earlier, one patient who was with family had to be rushed to hospital this morning. So some had to leave their home for treatment at hospitals,” Kenoshi said.

In February, Gauteng Premier David Makhura suspended Selebano in the wake of recommendations by Health Ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba, following the death of the 118 psychiatric patients at ill-equipped facilities of various NGOs.

Then-health MEC Qedani Mahlangu tendered her resignation as the saga unfolded.

At the time, Makgoba’s report found that as many as 94 mentally ill patients who were transferred from Esidimeni to unlicensed care centres had died of causes that included neglect and starvation.

The death toll figure rose over time as more information was discovered by Makgoba, bringing the number of deaths to 118 – a figure he revealed while testifying before the inquiry earlier this week. – ANA