Family only told of patient’s death eight months later
EIGHT months after Life Esidimeni patient Joseph Gumede died in NGO Anchor Care Centre‚ his family was finally told of his death.
Daphne Ndhlovu‚ a social worker from Cullinan Care Rehabilitation Centre‚ was sent to tell the family in February‚ but Gumede had died in July last year.
Ndhlovu testified to this at the arbitration hearings being held over three weeks in Johannesburg‚ to provide answers to families as to why more than 141 mentally ill patients died when moved from Life Esidimeni.
Gumede had been staying in Anchor NGO‚ a makeshift home set up on the state’s Cullinan Care Rehabilitation Centre’s premises to look after Life Esidimeni patients.
Ndhlovu did not know about Gumede’s death‚ as she did not work at the Anchor NGO‚ but worked at the rehabilitation centre next door.
Ndhlovu told Gumede’s family‚ “Please don’t kill the messenger. I was sent to deliver the message.”
She told the arbitration hearing: “It was the first time the family heard he had died. They were very upset.”
Gumede’s mother left the hearing sobbing when she heard the story.
The problems started when the Cullinan Care Rehabilitation Centre received too many people from Life Esidimeni homes. It was licensed to take 150 people‚ but there were 267 there last year‚ Ndlovu testified.
The judge presiding over the hearing‚ 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 that patients at the Cullinan Care and Rehabilitation Centre were left without food or water.