Moseneke ticks off witness at hearing
WHEN Dumazile Masondo and her colleagues from the Gauteng Mental Health Review Board visited the Takalani Home in August last year, they found little to be concerned about.
“The place was clean. They had professional staff; there was enough medication and food. The washing and toothbrushes were labelled.”
The standard, the chairperson of the review board told the Life Esidimeni arbitration hearings in Parktown, at the unlicensed NGO “was satisfactory”.
But yesterday retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke would have none of it. “Can you see all the deaths recorded at Takalani?” he asked her, visibly frustrated, ordering Masondo to read out the list of dates that mentally ill patients had died before her visit.
“Can you see that at the time when you were visiting there, how many people died? These are human beings; can’t you see that?
“How was it possible that you found Takalani clean, caring and orderly? What made all these patients die if the condition was satisfactory, if it was well-managed and had enough food?
“What killed so many people? You have four or five qualifications related to mental health care… why do you think those patients died?”
Masondo, pursing her lips tightly, responded: “The space. The patients were congested. I’d say even if they had professionals, the caregivers were not well supervised.”
Masondo, who was suspended in March, was testifying at the 15th day of the arbitration hearings in Parktown.
Her suspension, she said, had “traumatised her” as she was the only one among six colleagues suspended without pay. When she remarked that she felt “crucified” like Jesus Christ, the family members listening to her testimony heckled her.
She conceded she had failed to exercise her fiduciary duties because of “ignorance”. She was hired in January last year, but she and her colleagues became aware of patient deaths only in June. She said she reported to Dr Makgabo Manamela, suspended director of the mental health review board, and former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu.