The FF Plus in Gauteng confronted the province’s Premier, David Makhura, during the debate on the state of the province held in Randfontein, on issues including the deaths of more than 100 psychiatric patients, e-tolls and the unexplained deaths of patients in state and provincial hospitals.
Philip van Staden, the party’s MPL in Gauteng accused the Premier in a strongly worded speech of attempting to exonerate himself from blame regarding the role he played in the deaths of innocent people. He said the FF Plus would not allow the Premier to get away with his actions.
The party claimed they already have a strong case against Qedani Mahlangu, the former MEC of Health as well as the Premier. The case includes allegations of negligence, manslaughter and murder. The FF Plus furthermore argued that Premier has blood on his hands after he failed to intervene after numerous problems in provincial hospitals became known. The FF Plus is of the opinion that the Premier should have fired the former Health MEC sooner, rather than waiting for the Ombudsman’s report and the MEC’s voluntary resignation.
Van Staden also mentioned in his speech that it is not only the psychiatric patients who have paid with their lives under the leadership of Makhura; other cases have been reported with patients dying in the most unexpected ways in provincial hospitals. The FF Plus intends to lay charges in this regard and will ask authorities to investigate alleged incidents of negligence, manslaughter and murder.
“The irony is evident. While the Premier was delivering his speech on Monday, people were shot with rubber bullets and bombarded with tear gas in the streets. During the state of the province address, the Premier talked about building monuments, thereby creating a beautiful picture of his good works for the media – all of this while people were dying due to his negligence. This was all an attempt to protect his position against a President who does not politically support him.”
Regarding the controversial e-toll issue, Van Staden said that Makhura had turned his back on the people of Gauteng by announcing that the national government must find a solution to the e-toll problem. He said that Makhura was not man enough to tell the Minister and President that he will not allow e-tolling in Gauteng.
“The Premier can’t be trusted. His actions show that he does not care about Gauteng residents. He only cares about being elected as ANC national secretary in November at Luthuli House. The FF Plus is not asking for the Premier’s resignation, but rather that he, and the former MEC of Health, should be held legally accountable for the blood of innocent and vulnerable people that is on their hands.”
Van Staden ended his speech by stating that Gauteng residents will never be able to trust the Premier and will never again believe his promises. He said that the Premier and former Health MEC must pay for the deaths of innocent people.
“The Premier has signed his own death sentence and he should realise that no kind words, monuments or funeral payments can ever compensate for the pain, hurt and sadness that families are experiencing.”
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