Government probing five deaths at Kairos House psychiatric home

The Gauteng government has confirmed that five patients have died in two months at the Kairos centre for psychotic patients in Pretoria, and n investigation into the circumstances around these deaths have been initiated, with three of the deaths being investigated by the police.

Kairos House for Traumatised People outside Cullinan in Pretoria has been rocked by claims of patients being neglected, starved, being deprived of medication, and not being monitored for compliance in taking their medication, despite the centre receiving in excess of R5,4-million in state subsidies per year.

In July, patient Cornel Grobler, 45, hanged herself in a worker’s room, days after telling her mother, Isabella, how she was heavily depressed, desperately needed medication, and hasn’t been allowed to see a doctor.

The Citizen has previously reported how, on 7 August 2021, two patients were allegedly chased away from the house.

One of the patients, Petrus Smith, run over by a car and found dead at a hospital the following day and the other patient, known as “Dirk Zulu-boy” returned to the centre by police.

Just a day before, workers said two other patients whose names were shared with The Citizen, tried to commit suicide and were still recovering in hospital.

In June Shane Jordaan, 30, a patient at the centre housing about 120 patients, went missing and was found dead by the Cullinan road (R513) a month later.

Health department spokesperson Kwara Kekana said there was a service level agreement between the Department and the NGO running the centre, with a R454 249.00 monthly subsidy paid to the organisation run from a private plot in Elandshoek, outside Cullinan.

The department has also developed and implemented a remedial plan at Kairos House, with daily monitoring for compliance.

“A remedial plan has been developed and implemented. The Department will continue monitoring the NGO on daily basis until they meet the requirements for compliance,” she said.

Kekana did not, however, provide details about how the funding was structured, and how often the NGO accounts.

She also did not respond to claims that the department was withholding the inspection reports, saying only that “regular inspections are conducted quarterly and reports are compiled”

Bronwynn Engelbrecht, the DA’s provincial spokesperson on Social Development, was this week refused permission to conduct an oversight visit to the home.

She said this raised serious questions since her requests for inspection reports from the department have been ignored.

• siphom@citizen.co.za