Life Esidimeni inquest: Mahlangu casts doubt on admitted evidence
The former Gauteng Health MEC was back on the stand for day two of her testimony at the inquest- where she initially spent the day detailing circumstances that led to the termination of the Esidimeni contract.
FILE: Former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu. Picture: Sethembiso Zulu/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - Former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu cast doubt on some documents admitted as evidence at the Life Esidimeni inquest - where she is the third State official to testify on the 2016 tragedy.
Mahlangu was back on the stand for day two of her testimony at the inquest - where she initially spent the day detailing circumstances that led to the termination of the Esidimeni contract.
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More than 140 patients died after they were moved from the Life Esidimeni psychiatric hospital to several ill-equipped non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the province.
Mahlangu previously told the Pretoria High Court that then-premier David Makhura and his budget committee made the final decision to terminate the contract during several highly confidential meetings.
But Mahlangu disputed some of the contents of the minutes of the meeting where the decision was made, suggesting the documents may have been tampered with.
"My Lady what I wish to plead with the court is that the court must request the full, verbatim minutes of the budget committee meeting that I'm referring to... There are things that are not reflected in this and if the court wishes to get the verbatim discussion of what happened in that boardroom on the 15th floor, then I think the court has the right to get that information."