Gauteng MEC for Finance Barbara Creecy has told the Esidimeni Arbritration hearings in Parktown, Johannesburg that the instruction to cut cost by the province did not apply to the Health and Education Departments.
Previously, all Health officials testified that they were under pressure to cut costs.
Barbara Creecy has been called to provide details of budget allocations to the Mental health unit.
Creecy’s evidence is expected to confirm or disprove the version of senior Health Department officials, who said the decision to sever ties with Life Esidimeni was necessitated by budgetary constraints.
The other two remaining witnesses also expected to give evidence before proceedings conclude, are National Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and current Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa.
Motsoaledi and Ramokgopa are set to appear at the hearings on Wednesday.
144 mentally ill patients died following the bungled relocations from Life Esidimeni facilities to ill-equipped NGOs across the province.
The hearings seek to help provide family members with closure and redress.
