Former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu has put the responsibility of moving mentally-ill patients from the Life Esidimeni facilities to ill-equipped NGOs squarely at doors of the department’s senior managers.
She says issues relating to the issuing of licenses to the NGOs were dealt with by Dr Makgabo Manamela as Head of Mental Health in the department.
And that the relocation of the patients was handled by Mr Levy Mosenogi.
Mahlangu has been testifying at the Life Esidimeni Inquest at the High Court in Pretoria into the deaths of over 140 mentally-ill patients in 2016.
“I met with the team, when they requested the meeting and I was not available, the HOD was always there to deal with the issues. And if you look at my roles and responsibilities, I think it would have taken a superhuman to do all of these things that I was supposed to have meant to have done particularly relating to this project. I needed not to sleep if I really had to do some of the things that is suggested I would have done, I should have done. Who did you rely upon for information relating to Life Esidimeni project? I relied on the HOD and his team, Dr Manamela and Mr Mosenogi to be exact.”
VIDEO | Former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu appears before the Life Esidimeni Inquest | 03 May 2023:
