Selebano to appear in Esidimeni case
FORMER head of the Gauteng Health Department Dr Tiego Selebano will have his day in court today. Yesterday, Selebano made a short appearance in the high court in Joburg in an effort to set aside a subpoena compelling him to appear before the Life Esidimeni alternative dispute resolution.
Selebano does not want to appear at the arbitration before he appears at the department’s disciplinary hearing. He is due to appear before the arbitration next week. The high court case is his last-ditch bid to avoid appearing before retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke.
First he challenged Health Ombudsman Dr Malegapuru Makgoba’s findings into the deaths of 143 psychiatric patients when they were moved from Life Esidimeni to NGOs. The appeal was dismissed.
Also appearing before the internal department hearing will be suspended head of mental health services Dr Makgabo Manamela.
THE SA Human Rights Commission says the Life Esidieni tragedy, which left 143 psychiatric patients dead, could have been avoided if there had been adequate housing for people with special needs in the country.
The commission was briefing Parliament’s portfolio committee on human settlements yesterday, where it highlighted the need for such housing, which includes people living with disabilities, abuse victims and substance abusers.
The commission’s senior researcher, Yuki Ramkissoon, said: “The Esidimeni case illustrates not just the need for additional special-needs housing, but the need for institutional funding and capacity.
“We do not have a national policy governing capital funding for the formation of facilities or accommodation for people with special needs.”
In October 2015, then Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu announced the termination of the contract with Life Esidimeni.
About 2 000 people who were receiving specialised psychiatric care were moved from the facility to various NGOs and psychiatric hospitals.
At least 143 psychiatric patients died during and after the transfer and another 59 are still unaccounted for.
Ramkissoon argued that the case served as a learning curve for the country.
“What we saw at Esidimeni is lack of co-ordination between the state, provincial department and civil society, and also lack of co-ordination in the national department, which led to the NGOs being burdened with people they couldn’t care for, which led to the deaths.
“This can be attributed to a lack of co-ordination, transparency around processes and lack of communication.”
The commission slammed the Department of Human Settlements for not ensuring there were enough facilities for people with special needs.
The department developed the Special Housing Needs Policy, which is intended to provide housing for people who are unable to live independently due to a specific vulnerability.
It called for the department to provide funding for approved non-profit organisations to build and renovate housing facilities for people with special needs.
“We would like the state to provide better housing to different groups of people. If you’re a victim of gender-based violence and you leave your husband, you must be able to find a secure facility where your ex-partner or husband does not have access to threaten or intimidate you. There are not enough places available, and are only available to those who can afford it,” said Ramkissoon.
The department’s Johan Wallis told the committee the policy had not been approved by the minister. He said the department had, however, approved a funding mechanism for particular disabilities.
“Once the policy has been approved, sign-off and implementation will be at the discretion of the ministers of human settlements and social development,” he said.
The commission vowed to liaise with these departments to finalise adoption and implementation of the policy. It demanded that the departments take full responsibility and control over the implementation of the policy.