Africa-Press – South-Africa. The former head of Gauteng mental health Dr Makgabo Manamela says she heard about plans to terminate the Life Esidimeni contract in the media.
Giving testimony at the Life Esidimeni inquest, heard virtually in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday, Manamela said she had been listening to former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu’s budget speech when she heard about the termination project.
“We always listen and take what it is that affects your area. I heard in the media for the first time that we are going to terminate the programme,” Manamela said.
She said she hadn’t had formal information about the project until she received a termination letter for Life Esidimeni. The letter was signed by former Gauteng health department HOD Dr Tiego Barney Selebano.
Asked why the plan was implemented, she said:
Manamela told the court that the termination plan came as the department implemented a bed-reduction plan for Life Esidimeni.
The plan was to reduce the number of beds at Life Esidimeni by 1 000 over a few years. In the 2014/2015 financial year, Manamela said, they managed to reduce the beds by 200. Life Esidimeni then closed the Witpoort care centre.
She said that, before Mahlangu’s termination plan, Life Esidimeni and the department had regular meetings on how to phase in bed reductions. After the termination was announced, the hospital was no longer part of their meetings.
Once the termination plan began, Mahlangu had chaired a meeting for families at the Waverley hospital.
Manamela said:
She added that Mahlangu had reminded the families of the “Brazil model”, where communities care for mental health patients.
She said other family meetings were held in Rand West, Randfontein and Baneng.
The inquest aims to determine whether anyone can be held criminally liable for the deaths of 141 mental health care patients.
The inquest continues.
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