Gauteng Premier David Makhura and his Finance MEC Barbara Creecy are both expected to testify when the Esidimeni arbitration hearings resume in Parktown, Johannesburg on Tuesday.
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.
The Premier’s office has admitted that it knew about the termination of the contract with Life Esidimeni, but it did not know that patients were moved to NGOs, and that the decision was not made in consultation with the Provincial Executive Council.
However questions abound as to what exactly did Premier David Makhura know, and did not know about the project.
Meanwhile, Finance MEC 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.
