‘Collective blame’ for death of 94 patients

THE death of 94 psychiatric patients in Gauteng after being moved from Life Esidimeni to NGOs is shocking to say the least. And worse still, no one is willing to take the blame, or culpability.

Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu is a coward: she took the easy route by resigning from her highly paid job, instead of taking responsibility.

Even the Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, is hedging and not prepared to take blame for the death of these mentally challenged patients. What a shame.

The Health MEC and the Premier are ANC deployees, hence the ANC must also take responsibility for the atrocities.

The ANC are past masters of “taking collective responsibility” (remember their collective responsibility when they lost the three metros during the last August municipal elections instead of blaming Jacob Zuma). Why are they not claiming collective responsibility for this debacle?

Health Ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba must be complimented for not pulling punches in his damning report and he pointed fingers straight to the Gauteng legislature.

The families of the victims (or dead) are ready to begin their quest for justice and are preparing to sue the Gauteng government. But will this bring back to life those who have died?

I believe Mahlangu, Makhura and all those involved in the health departments and the NGOs must be brought to book. They must face the full might of the law: the DA and EFF have already laid criminal charges against these people, and I hope the whole issue is not swept under the carpet.

FACE THE MUSIC: Qedani Mahlangu, former Gauteng Health MEC, and David Makhura. A reader thinks the pair should be brought to book after a report exposed the appalling conditions in which psychiatric patients died last year.