Clinical psychologist Coralie Trotter has compared the Esidimeni deaths with the Holocaust. Giving testimony at the Arbitration Hearings, Trotter says the mentally ill patients who were moved from Life Esidimeni to illegal NGOs were treated like animals.
“With all the trauma work I’ve done in my life and with all my own losses in life I feel as if for the first time I have touched what I call anti-matter; and I am sure people who were devastated by apartheid and the Holocaust know that, but i now feel i have touched something that i can only describe as anti-matter, it is unthinkable.”
Trotter says there was no way the Life Esidimeni patients were not going to die. Giving testimony at the Arbitration Hearings, Trotter says there had been no work done to prepare the patients and the bureaucrats to move the mentally-ill patients to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
A 143 patients have died because of this process – 100 of them died at four NGOs.
“When we are overwhelmed by fear and helplessness all our neurobiological and psychological mechanisms shut down and then you don’t have a protective shield in place. So, now you’ve got patients moving without a protective shield in place and then be placed in environments where they are not looked after. There is absolutely no way these people weren’t going to die,” Trotter explained what happened to the families and the patients when due to the move from Life Esidimeni.
Trotter has done extensive work with victims of torture, but she says, “With all the trauma work I’ve done in my life and with all my own losses in life I feel as if for the first time I have touched what I call anti-matter, and I am sure people who were devastated by apartheid and the holocaust know that, but I now feel I have touched something that I can only describe as anti-matter, it is unthinkable.”
Trotter worked with the families and patients to get to the bottom of the trauma they suffered through the ill-advised and rushed move.
Health Ombudsman Malekgapuru Makgoba also had scathing words for the process saying it was both reckless and negligent calling on the hearings to find justice for the families.
“Unnecessary and preventable deaths of mentally-ill patients occurred in Gauteng as a consequence of reckless and negligent decision-making and actions and now in Lord Tisanes poem, it says somebody has blundered now you must find who blundered and deal with that. That’s why you are having this process.”
It emerged at the hearings that former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu will be testifying from the 22 of January to 26 in 2018.
Her advocate Stanley Pincus says she is currently studying and plans to oppose plans by her UK University to suspend her.
“She, at the moment, is busy with strategy and global competitive environmental module which finishes this month, November and this month, she starts with global financial markets and wealth management, (to be) only completed on 15 January next year. In regard to the question of our clients at the University of Bedfordshire, we are of the view that the suspension was both wrongful and unlawful and have it revoked and reviewed. That is why, not withstanding that suspension, she is only available on the 15th January next year. That is why the dates have been agreed upon.”
Makgoba’s final summary put the deaths at 143 saying he had last correlated the numbers in September.
He says that it was in four NGOs where 100 deaths happened. He slammed the management of the project to move the patients saying there was no leadership and there was total disrespect for human dignity.
He says some NGOS did not have medication and in those that did caregivers did not know how to administer it.
Makgoba also praised Weskoppies Hospital saying it is one of the best in the world and should serve as a standard for mental illness health care.
The hearings continue.
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