Four deaths not part of Esidimeni

Health ombudsman says quartet not in group

Four mentally ill patients whose deaths are subject to a police investigation in connection with the Life Esidimeni tragedy have been excluded from the arbitration process.

Yesterday, health ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba announced that only 140 out of 144 people who died qualify to form part of the arbitration which is being led by retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke.

The outcomes of the arbitration will determine how the families of victims will be compensated for their loss.

The arbitration hearing, which is set to resume with closing arguments tomorrow, was called after 1 700 patients were removed from Life Esidimeni facilities and placed at unlicensed NGOs, resulting in more than 100 people dying.

It was mentioned on record during the hearing that an investigation by the South African Police Service confirmed that 144 people died during the provincial health department’s marathon project.

However yesterday, spokesman in the office of the ombudsman Ricardo Mahlakanya said further verifications conducted by Makgoba showed that four people did not qualify to fall under the process.

Mahlakanya said the verification reflected that the four people were not part of the group who died after being relocated at NGOs.

He said they did not know the circumstances behind the deaths of those four patients.

“The health ombud agrees with the to- tal number of 144 healthcare users recently provided by the SAPS who died during the Gauteng marathon project, however the health ombud wishes to clarify that out of 144 provided by SAPS, four mental healthcare users do not qualify for inclusion in the alternative dispute resolution process,” Mahlakanya said.

Yesterday, Mark Heywood of civil society organisation Section27, which is representing more than 70 of the victims’ families said he was not aware of this.

Heywood said he would speak to the organisation’s lawyers to ascertain what was happening.

“At this point I can’t speculate. The decision might have been taken for good or bad reasons,” he said.

/THULANI MBELE Families of mentally ill victims who died after they were moved to illegal NGOs sing outside the Life Esidimeni arbitration hearing venue in Parktown.