Qedani Mahlangu implicates Gauteng Premier in Esidimeni decision
23 January 2018
Former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu has further implicated Premier David Makhura in the decision to cancel the Life Esidimeni contract and send mental health patients to unsuitable NGOs where many died.
In her testimony at the Esidimeni arbitration hearings yesterday she said that Makhura was part of the Budget committee meeting which cut the Esidimeni contract as a cost-saving measure.
She also mentioned a meeting in November 2015 with the Premier and NEHAWU concerning workers who would be retrenched because of the cancellation of the Esidimeni contract. The undertaking was given that they would be given jobs in the department or with the NGOs where they would be sent.
Makhura has denied that he knew that patients were being sent to NGOs rather than other government facilities, but Mahlangu’s testimony shows that he knew early on about the whole scheme.