Life Esidimeni inquest: Section 27 wants tough ruling as families await outcome of proceedings

JOHANNESBURG - Advocacy group Section 27 hopes for a tough ruling in the Life Esidimeni inquest as the families of the victims wait with bated breath for the outcome of proceedings.

The Pretoria High Court is set to hand down judgement on Wednesday afternoon, nearly a decade after 144 mental health patients died in the botched marathon project.

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Section 27 wants the court to charge former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and former head of the Mental Health Directorate Makgabo Manamela with culpable homicide.

The advocacy group believes the conduct of some government officials may have led to the deaths of psychiatric patients during their move from Life Esidimeni facilities to ill-equipped non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Gauteng in 2016.

The director at Section 27, Sasha Stevenson, said the pending judgement must act as a deterrent.

“What was done in this case was so far from the interests of people and it was so obviously not in the interests of people, and I think it’s so important that everyone sees that there are consequences for doing something as terrible as what was done in Life Esidimeni.”

In addition to wanting Mahlangu and Manamela prosecuted, the human rights group believes it has also given the court overwhelming evidence to prove complicity on the part of some owners of NGOs where patients died. This includes the owner of Precious Angels, Ethel Ncube.

Judgement is expected at 2 pm.