Pyschiatric patient found dead after escaping from Rob Ferreira
Tebogo was found dead still wearing the hospital's pyjamas.
- A psychiatric patient Tebogo Makhukhula (27) from Barveil near Ngodwana defaulted treatment and was admitted to Rob Ferreira Hospital on Wednesday.
He remained at the casualty as they were still arranging a bed for him. After two days, his family was telephoned and alerted that they spotted someone like Tebogo at Mattafin Garage. “We then rushed to the hospital to check if the person they are seeing is really Tebogo or not. Indeed, on our arrival at the hospital, Tebogo was missing. We questioned the hospital on how he got out, and a man called Moses told us that their work is not to look after patients. He said they did their part, which was to give him medication. He said they do not know what happened afterwards,” reported the frustrated uncle, Moses Makhukhula.
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The family further went to the security officers at the hospital gate to inquire how Tebogo got out under their watch, again the response they got from the security officer whom they did not get identity, was not good as he told them that he’s only checking vehicles going in and out of the hospital, not people. The family then began to search for their son on their own on Saturday. They searched the whole day with no luck. On Sunday a body of a young man was discovered at the Mattafin railway and the community suspected it was Tebogo. Family went for identification and they verified that indeed it was their son, Tebogo Makhukhula with a wound on his head and bruises all over his body. “We do not know the cause of his death or how he ended up in there because we left him at Rob Ferreira Hospital,” said Makhukhula. A case of capable homicide is still under investigation at the Nelspruit police station. “The department of health is aware of the incident. Internal investigation is currently on to determine how the patient escaped from the hospital,” explained spokesperson, Dumisani Malamulele.
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