ESIDIMENI MAY COST GAUTENG BILLION RAND

About 200 families come forward following the over R150m payout

THE Gauteng provincial government might end up coughing up over a billion rand to families of the victims of the Life Esidimeni saga.

At least 200 families who were not part of the Life Esidimeni Alternative Dispute Resolution process have contacted the office of Gauteng Premier David Makhura to lodge claims.

So far, the provincial government has paid out R159.46 millionto 134 claimants of those who were affected when they moved from Life Esidimeni facilities across the province to non-governmental organisations.

Gauteng government spokesperson Thabo Masebe said there was no cut-off time on when families can claim.

“We are probably going to spend more than a billion rand on this. We do not have a cut-off time because everyone who was affected needs to be paid out,” Masebe said yesterday.

The moving of patients from Life Esidimeni to the NGOs – most of which were not registered – led to 144 patients dying from neglect, hunger and dehydration. Over 1 400 patients were moved and about 28 are still missing.

The dispute resolution chaired by retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke ruled that families be paid about R1.2m each in damages.

Makhura’s office is now in the process of verifying families’ members who have now come forward to say their loved ones were affected by the moves.

Masebe said so far just over 200 people have come forward and have been verified.

“Before the arbitration started, we took out advertisements and went on radio stations asking people who were affected to come forward, but we did not get much response. Once people saw the award by justice Moseneke they came forward.

“Currently, government is verifying if the claimants have power of attorney over the patients on whose behalf they are claiming,” Masebe said.

He said once all verifications were completed, government would contact the provincial Treasury for the funds.

Soweto’s Sipho Mtshalala is one of the families that are in the process of being verified. He said his schizophrenic sister Busisiwe was moved from the Life Esidimeni facility in Randfontein.

“She was supposed to be moved to Cullinan but somehow ended up at Sterkfontein. The hospital called me and told me she had collapsed and admitted to Leratong Hospital. She spent almost a month in the ICU before she got better,” Mtshalala said, adding that his sister was treated for heart and kidney failure.

Now, Busisiwe is being treated for her psychiatric issues at Life Esidimeni in Germiston.

“She is doing better because she is getting proper medication,” her brother said.

The Mtshalala family lodged their claim with Makhura’s office in June.

“They told me that they are verifying us. The last time I spoke to them, they said they had verified us and they are still waiting for word from their bosses on when we will be paid out,” Mtshalala said.

DA’s Gauteng Health spokesperson Jack Bloom said a number of new claimants have come forward and government was stalling in paying them out. “They are not going to be paid soon because there is no budget for it. Maybe government can adjust the budget in November and make provisions for it.

“Government will have to decide whether the payout for the families (is) R1.2m and if that is several hundred families, the costs might shoot up to about a billion. That would put a massive strain on government,” Bloom said.

Once people saw award and payout, they came forward