Zille to be reported to rights commission over Life Esidimeni tweet

Social activist Zackie Achmat says he will lay a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against Western Cape Premier Helen Zille after her controversial tweet about the families of the victims of the Life Esidimeni tragedy in Gauteng.

Zille caused a stir on Twitter on Tuesday after she tweeted that, while it was good the families of the deceased and surviving mental health patients had received “a measure of justice and compensation”, what did they do before the tragic deaths of 144 people to raise awareness about their loved ones’ conditions at the unlicensed NGOs they were relocated to in 2016.

“It is good that the families of the Life Esidimeni victims have received a measure of justice and compensation. I would like an answer to this question: What did they do, before these tragic deaths, to raise the alarm about their loved ones starving + living in profound neglect? [sic],” she said.

It is good that the families of the Life Esidimeni victims have received a measure of justice and compensation. I would like an answer to this question: What did they do, before these tragic deaths, to raise the alarm about their loved ones starving + living in profound neglect?

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 20, 2018

Many Twitter users thought that Zille’s tweet was insensitive as many of the families had raised awareness about the plight of their loved ones, but were ignored by officials as proven by the Health Ombudsman and during testimony provided at the Life Esidimeni arbitration hearings.

Achmat, a member of the UniteBehind Organising Secretariat, on Wednesday morning told Talk Radio 702 the premier’s remarks were horrible and he wanted to exposed her to the poor state of mental health facilities in the Western Cape.

“I would like to officially launch a complaint online on that comment and ask the premier to accompany the Human Rights Commission and others to Valkenberg Hospital, Stikland Hospital and Lentegeur Hospital,” he said.

However, in a tweet Zille denied that the Western Cape had treated mental health patients in any inhumane way.

“With all this ‘outrage’ at a simple question, one could easily forget that patients with mental illnesses are NOT treated in this inhumane way in the Western Cape.  Here we have a competent and caring government and residents who would not tolerate what happened in Esidimeni.”

With all this "outrage" at a simple question, one could easily forget that patients with mental illnesses are NOT treated in this inhumane way in the Western Cape. Here we have a competent and caring government and residents who would not tolerate what happened in Esidimeni. https://t.co/NLxunhxefU

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 20, 2018

I will write my column in @dailymaverick on the Life Esidemeni tragedy through the lens of what we are doing in the Western Cape. A good way to spend human rights day. Troĺls can take a break for a bit and I'll engage again on these streets on this issue after my column.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 21, 2018

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