Subpoena issued for Mahlangu to appear
No record of Mahlangu furthering her studies, or her registration
JOHANNESBURG: The former Gauteng health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu, under whom the botched relocation of former Life Esidimeni psychiatric patients took place, has been subpoenaed to appear before the arbitration hearing in December.
Mahlangu had indicated that she would only be available at the end of January 2018.
‘‘The (former) MEC is represented by law firm Ngcebetsha Madlanga attorneys.
“She has indicated through her attorneys that she would appear here between January 21 and 31… we have however, taken a decision to subpoena her to appear on December 6,” attorney for the State Tebogo Hutamo said yesterday.
Hutamo had initially told the arbitration that Mahlangu could not appear, as she was preparing for examinations overseas. ‘‘The only difficulty is on her whereabouts… her attorneys have been requested to provide her formal address to ensure delivery of the subpoena.”
Mahlangu’s whereabouts had been a bone of contention after it was reported that she was in the UK furthering her studies at the London School of Economics.
The Mail & Guardian reported on Saturday that the school had no record of Mahlangu furthering her studies, or her registration as a student. On Sunday, the ANC in Gauteng came to the defence of beleaguered Mahlangu, rejecting suggestions that the organisation does not know her whereabouts, and that she was reluctant to appear at the arbitration.
ANC media liaison officer Motalatale Modiba said Mahlangu requested a leave of absence from her provincial executive committee responsibilities at the end of August this year to be able to travel overseas for purposes of pursuing her post-graduate studies.
“Therefore any suggestion that the organisation does not know her whereabouts is incorrect. Comrade Qedani is still an elected member of of the provincial executive committee. The referral of her matter to the provincial integrity committee is something that is being processed internally.”
More than 3 000 former Life Esidimeni psychiatric patients were relocated to unlicensed NGOs, where 141 of them died due to starvation and neglect. Fifty-nine of the patients are still unaccounted for.
Other top officials subpoenaed to appear are suspended head of the provincial department of health Barney Selebano and director of mental health Makgabo Manamela.
They were suspended in the wake of Health ombud Malegapuru Makgoba’s damning report on the Esidimeni tragedy, released in February. Hutamo said Selebano and Manamela were reluctant to appear at the hearing, as they were appealing their suspensions and challenging Makgoba’s findings.
Arbitration chairperson former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke said the hearing would wrap up by the end of this year. ‘‘A subpoena does not give witnesses a choice of when to appear… it gives them a date on when to appear. It is important to say that this proceedings will end this year, and not later than the end of December 2017.”