Life Esidimeni: Patients’ transfer ‘not a rushed job’ – Qedani Mahlangu

While her subdued demeanour and black dress resembled that of a widow, embattled Qedani Mahlangu this week refused to take full responsibility for the Life Esidimeni tragedy – marking the deaths in 2016 of 144 mentally-ill people in Gauteng – during her tenure as Gauteng MEC for health.

Testifying virtually at the High Court in Pretoria during the Life Esidimeni inquest, Mahlangu said: “No comment” or “I disagree” to questions from evidence leaders about her role and responsibility during her tenure.

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A common thread in Mahlangu’s testimony pointed to the buck stopping with “officials” in the health department and not her – in some of her responses, claiming to have:

• Had no knowledge that the bogus non-governmental organisations (NGOs) where the mentally impaired were transferred to from Life Esidimeni had fake operating licences; and
• No direct involvement in the issuing of licences and had relied on senior staff in the provincial department to “execute the work”.

Mahlangu confirmed being part of the provincial budget committee (PBC) where key decisions with financial implications were made.

Evidence leader advocate WF Pienaar said: “When the project committee of the department of health requested an extension – minimum of six months or a maximum of a year – you were not inclined to grant that. Is that correct?”

Mahlangu: “We – myself and other heads of department – granted a further three-month extension, making it nine months in total, after deliberations.”

Pienaar: “But in your capacity as MEC in the Gauteng department of health, did you consider a longer period of extension?”

Mahlangu: “I did not, because there was no final request for any other additional extension.”

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Pienaar: “Was there anytime subsequent to the granting of the extension, informed that the time available for the transfer of mental care users, was insufficient?”

Mahlangu: “No, counsel.”

When challenged by Pienaar on why she failed to adhere to the stipulations of the National Mental Health Policy Framework’s Strategic Plan, providing for a five-year period before mental health patients would be transferred to another facility, Mahlangu said: “The decision was not mine alone. I was part of that decision-making of the PBC in cancelling the initial contract.”

Pienaar: “Did you at any stage consider that the decision taken by the PBC was contrary to the National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan, which provided for a five-year period?”

Watch the proceedings below, courtesy of SABC:

Mahlangu: “No, counsel. At the time when the project was being implemented, the team I worked with gave assurances on the fact that the Gauteng department of health was already rolling out the community-based mental healthcare programme.

“At that time, I was informed that there were at least 10 000 mental healthcare users who would have been discharged from Life Esidimeni from other government institutions into NGOs.

“This is what is called a community-based mental health programme.”

Asked whether a senior health official, Molefi Mosenogi, made a proposal to the Gauteng department of health to purchase Life Esidimeni facilities, she said: “That was not discussed with me.”

Mahlangu disagreed the transfer of patients was “a rushed job”. The inquest continues.

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