Department pays Matlawa family
The Gauteng Department of Health yesterday finally paid a R6.1 million claim to the family of a brain damaged baby.
The Department of Health has finally paid the 6.1 million owed to Lethabo Matlawa’s family.
This after five-year-old Lethabo Matlawa was born brain damaged at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in 2009 due to lack of oxygen.
Her mother, Matshidiso Matlawa, sued the hospital and the High Court in Pretoria found the department liable.
After two months of failure to pay the amount owed to Matlawa’s family, the Sheriff of the court lined up trucks to remove 1 000 furniture items on Friday last week.
The department then gave the Sheriff a written undertaking to pay by yesterday.
This after the court gave the department until September 17 to pay the claim, but by October 18, the payment remained elusive, forcing the family to seek legal action to recover the money.
Gary Austin, the Matlawa’s family lawyer, said the family had been waiting for the payment to continue with operations Lethabo needed.
“It’s shocking that we had to go through removals of furniture for the department to see the urgency of this child’s health, really shocking.
“But I’m glad they paid because the mother is also taking a strain financially, she had to leave her job to take care of her child,” said Austin.
