Fears of another Life Esidimeni as government decides to relocate disabled patients at care home

There are concerns about another Life Esidimeni tragedy unfolding if the Department of Social Development relocates patients at the Sunfield Home Fortuna in Mpumalanga.

Sunfield Home Fortuna is a home for disabled people.

About 36 fragile disabled patients, who receive disability grants, might be forcefully relocated by the Department of Social Development.

Sunfield asking for grant increase

This after the home in July asked the provincial department for an increase of the grant it receives. It said it has not had an increase in 14 years.

The 36 patients receive a monthly subsidy from the department of around R1 900.

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Sunfield manager, Brenda Gouws said she had a meeting two weeks ago with officials from the Department of Social Development, where they instructed her and a social worker to move the 36 patients.

“I had a meeting with social development, and they told myself and the social worker that they had instructions from the head office, that the residents must be removed off the Sunfield property on 30 September,” Gouws told eNCA.

The home has been caring for disabled patients since 1991. It currently cares for 65 patients, some of which have been staying at the home for decades.

Gouws said the department is looking to place the patients into other homes or back with their families, whom they have not seen in years. 

According to Gouws, other care homes have received grant increases, yet Sunfield Fortuna has not seen an increase in years.

AfriForum to go to court

AfriForum said it is prepared to take the department to court to get it to review its decision on Sunfield Home Fortuna.

It said the department’s decision to relocate the patients over requested increases is “unconstitutional, unreasonable, unjustifiable, and irrational”.

Last week, the organisation sent a letter to the department, giving them until the end of August to review the decision of not providing a grant increase.

“AfriForum is prepared to submit court documents against the Department of Social Development seeing as the department is still refusing to respond to AfriForum’s lawyer’s letter that was sent on behalf of Sunfield Home on 22 August.”

“AfriForum’s lawyer’s letter demanded that the department firstly reconsider and review its decision to force residents to move. And secondly, to adjust the subsidy amount of the home appropriately to an acceptable amount,” read AfriForum’s statement.

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