Five years after Life Esidimeni tragedy inquest will begin in July

Five years after 144 mentally ill patients died after being transferred from Life Esidimeni health-care facilities to NGOs, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is launching a formal inquest into the matter.

The NPA said on Monday that the hearing would begin in July at the high court in Pretoria.

This was determined at a meeting on Monday with judge Mmonoa Teffo, the NPA and representatives of affected families.

In 2016, patients died after being transferred from Life Esidimeni health-care facilities to NGOs after the end of the contract between the Gauteng government and the Life Esidimeni group.

Life Esidimeni provided highly specialised chronic care to about 2,000 mental-health patients.

Some of the NGOs were not licensed properly, and lacked the facilities to take proper care of patients.

Hearings by retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke brought to the fore shocking levels of depravity — cruelty, neglect and indifference on the part of government officials.

Last year TimesLIVE reported that 81 of the 352 claimants had not been paid.

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