Suspended Gauteng Department Head Dr Barney Selebano will testify at the Life Esidimeni hearings on Tuesday. That’s according to lawyers representing the state at the arbitration.
On Monday, he lost a court bid to set aside his subpoena to testify at the hearings. His application for leave to appeal was also dismissed. Selebano is among the three top senior officials implicated in the transfer of patients that resulted in a number of deaths.
The families of Esidimeni patients are recounting their harrowing experience at unlicensed NGOs.
Among the three implicated officials is the suspended Gauteng Health HOD. Selebano was subpoenaed to appear at the hearings on Monday but instead he was in court fighting his subpoena.
He wanted it set aside arguing it was an abuse of process.
But he later challenged the ruling insisting it was not an arbitration process.
Selebano’s lawyer Kirsty Mclean says:”What’s being referred to the arbitrator is not a future dispute there’s the possibility of a future dispute and we will say this inconsistent with the arbitration Act.”
State Advocate Tebogo Hutamo says: “All that we can see from these proceedings is a mere tactic on part of the applicant to avoid presenting himself before arbitration proceedings, where his appearance is very important, there is no basis for this application.”
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