Maimane says he doesn’t support Zille’s views on Esidimeni families

DA leader Mmusi Maimane says he doesn’t support Western Cape Premier Helen Zille’s views about the families of the victims of the Life Esidimeni tragedy in Gauteng.

On Tuesday, Zille caused a stir on Twitter 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 to raise awareness about conditions of their loved ones at the ill-equipped NGOs they were relocated to in 2016.

One hundred and forty-four psychiatric patients died after the botched transfers from Life Esidimeni to unlicensed NGOs.

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

Maimane told EWN that he stood with the families as they needed to be supported.

“The families of those who were left behind understood the pain they went through, and when you surrender yourself to a mental health institution often you find that those families are left powerless. So I stand with the families and say they should be supported,” Maimane said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday DA spokesperson Refiloe Nt’sekhe said Zille’s tweet was “unfortunate”, inappropriate” and “inefficient”.

“It’s an unfortunate tweet considering the DA has been fighting through Jack Bloom for the rights of the victims and families. The DA finds the statement inappropriate and inefficient,” she told News24.

At the same time, social activist Zackie Achmat confirmed that he would lay a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against the premier.

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