Parties deplore patients’ deaths

THE ombudsman’s report into the deaths of over 100 mentally ill Esidimeni is sufficiently comprehensive and a judicial commission of inquiry is not necessary, the ANC in parliament has said.

During a debate on the deaths of more than 100 patients transferred to various NGOs, ANC MP Amos Mahlalela said the party was in full support of recommendations made in the ombudsman’s report and “don’t see any necessity for a judicial inquiry” because the report had been “independent and impartial” and written “in good faith without fear, favour, bias, and prejudice”.

The DA has written to President Jacob Zuma to request a judicial inquiry be conducted into reasons for the deaths. The families of the dead released a statement ahead of the debate requesting that the deaths of their loved ones not be used as a “political football”.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi sent his apologies to the families, promising that “each and every death will be accounted for” through death inquests conducted by magistrates.

He said the National Prosecuting Authority would be responsible for pursuing criminal charges against those implicated.

He admitted there had been “many illegalities” around the transfer of the patients, who were transported by the NGOs themselves, often without the knowledge of the patients’ families and without their medical records, treatment and diagnosis.

Motsoaledi said there was a question over whether the patients had been “discharged or stolen”.

He said there had been enough money in the national and provincial mental health budgets so “there was no reason for so many vulnerable people to perish because of money”.

The DA’s Wilmot James said it appeared that conditions at some of the NGOs had been “like concentration camps” where patients starved, were left dirty and without clothes, and had bruises and injuries on their bodies.

The EFF’s Susan Thembekwayo said it was not enough the Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu had resigned, and the ANC had come to parliament with a “half-cooked” apology. She said the deaths showed a “complete disregard” for the wellbeing of mentally ill South Africans and were “indicative of the state of mental health in this country”.

The IFP’s Themba Msimang called for a full forensic audit into the deaths and those responsible be held criminally accountable.

He said the treatment of the patients had been demonic, reckless and careless.

Agang MP Andries Plouamma said the deaths seemed like an “extermination of the mentally ill” .