Esidimeni doctor a no-show at hearings
‘You are a strong woman. It is important to acknowledge his life’
SIZWE Hlatshwayo would have turned 30 yesterday, but is now part of the death toll resulting from the ill-fated marathon relocations of psychiatric patients to unregistered NGOs in Gauteng.
Hlatshwayo’s heartbroken stepmother Jabulile cried all day at the Life Esidimeni alternative dispute resolution hearing yesterday.
Hlatshwayo last week told the arbitration that suspended Gauteng director of mental health Dr Makgabo Manamela forced her to hand over Sizwe’s body so than an autopsy could be performed – a day before the funeral. When she objected to that, she was allegedly threatened that the body would be exhumed at a later stage, as part of police investigations. Sizwe died at Anchor House NGO in 2016.
Yesterday, Hlatshwayo had to be escorted out of the hearing by social workers when she broke down after a tearyeyed Section27 lawyer, advocate Adila Hassim, asked the head of the arbitration, retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, to acknowledge Sizwe’s birthday.
Moseneke said to Hlatshwayo: “You are a strong woman. It is important to acknowledge his life.”
For Hlatshwayo, who is among the many relatives of the 143 dead patients demanding answers from the Gauteng Department of Health, Manamela’s no-show at the hearings yesterday was a slap in the face.
After being grilled on the stand on Monday, Manamela didn’t pitch up yesterday, and according to her legal representative, advocate Lerato Mashilane, she was sick.
Mashilane said Manamela first thought she was tired, and only went to the doctor yesterday morning. Asked why she didn’t go to the doctor on Monday after the hearings, Mashilane said: “She thought she would feel better. As they say, ‘joy comes in the morning’,” he said.
He said Manamela would be able to appear tomorrow. Moseneke was less impressed, and ordered that a warrant of arrest against her be issued, but that it stay until tomorrow if she doesn’t pitch.
Andrew Peterson, who is also part of the family committee, explained how his uncle Victor Truter was moved from Life Esidimeni without their knowing.
His family had searched for him for two months until they eventually traced him to Masego NGO in Krugersdorp. When they found him, he was thin and dehydrated.
Truter, who has chronic schizophrenia, was one of the few patients who survived.
Peterson said: “It’s a pity that Dr Manamela decided to get sick when we wanted to hear the truth from her.
“We need a memorial to tell the future generations that we will remember those people and do everything in our power that something like this never happens.
“There should be monetary rewards given to families of survivors, specifically to help them take better care of their relatives.”
The hearing continues.