Worrying delay of Esidimeni Tribunal

13 June 2017

I am concerned that the independent tribunal appointed to deal with appeals by Gauteng health officials involved in the deaths of Esidimeni patients has reportedly missed its deadline to hand over a report to Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.

Motsoaledi appointed the team in March and gave it two months to finish its work, which lapsed last month.

According to the Health Department, the minister had to extend the deadline because of the amount of work that is involved in the matter.

While all due process must be followed, high-level expertise can expedite this process so that it is fair and legal.

It is important that the tribunal concludes its work as soon as possible so that discipline against implicated officials can proceed.

The police should also conclude the post-mortems and inquests so that criminal charges can proceed.

Unnecessary delays compound the injury suffered in this whole matter where justice needs to be done.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 13 June 2017