Board members leave embattled Durban mental health facility after new appointment

Two Durban and Coastal Mental Health (DCMH) board members have resigned, saying they can no longer be associated with the “mismanagement” of the organisation which assists thousands of mental health patients in the province.

One issue they have flagged is the appointment of Mbonisi Sibisi as the new CEO who, they say, was the “weakest candidate” for the job but whose appointment was pushed through by other members of the board.

It was after this that board member, now resigned, Liesel Muhl went onto the internet and discovered that Sibisi has links, on Facebook, with the chairperson Sthandiwe Mkhize, previous chair Sipho Shezi, former CEO Victor Mthiyane and at least two board members, including Themba Yengwa, who sat on the interview panel.

In particular, Sibisi and Yengwa appear to have a close, long-standing friendship, with many pictures of them together as teenagers and more recently at social events.

A year ago Yengwa also publicly praised Sibisi on what appears to be another job appointment.

“No-one declared this during the interview process or when the appointment was made,” Muhl told TimesLIVE.

She and fellow (now resigned) board member Gaby Lopes Pereira had both argued against his appointment because they had given him the lowest scores out of the four candidates. 

Management dismissed the allegations, saying they were determined to bring about “change and transformation” at the embattled organisation which could cause “discomfort and discontent”.

In their letter of resignation, Muhl and Lopes Pereira said: “We have come to the conclusion that we cannot help DCMH ... and it is not something we would like to be affiliated with.

“We keep hearing that things are changing, but we must admit that it is hard to stick with this narrative when we constantly hear of food problems, the catering contractor threatening to leave due to nonpayment, security being absent, hiring security through an unregistered provider, bed bugs [and so on].”

Yengwa declined to answer questions, referring them to Mkhize. 

Sibisi was “unavailable”, spokesperson Samukele Ngubane said.

TimesLIVE contacted two other board members, Lungile Zwane, who said she was not available to answer questions, and Bongani Gina, who referred questions to Mkhize. Gina added that he had not received any complaint, verbal or otherwise, regarding the allegation of friendship.

Sibisi was hired in December to take over from Mthiyane, a former social worker at DCMH who was hired as CEO under Shezi’s watch.

Last year, in interviews with TimesLIVE, both Shezi and Mkhize conceded that he was not competent.

Mkhize, in response to a request for comment on Sibisi’s appointment, said these are “lies and fabrications being peddled by a few individuals who have embarked on an effort to tarnish the name of the organisation”.

“We wish to state that the recruitment process of the CEO was in line with our policies ... It is not surprising that the information peddlers are the same people who wanted the board to appoint their own preferred candidate.

“We are confident that with the support of all stakeholders the CEO will usher in a new era.”

Muhl said she had declared a connection with another candidate before his interview. She provided TimesLIVE with her scores, which showed that she had scored him second. Both she and Lopes Perreira had scored an unrelated candidate highest.

TimesLIVE sent specific questions to Ngubane regarding the connections between the individuals. She referred to the previous statement.

TimesLIVE has previously reported on allegations of misconduct and incompetence at the organisation, but Mkhize now says the board is determined to turn it around.

An investigations team appointed by the provincial department of health warned last year of a threatening “Life Esidimeni” situation. The team reported that the board had been “captured” in 2019 and “brought to its knees”, incurring debt of more than R18m  in two years.

The report said there had been a “revolving door” of service suppliers, many hired without proper contracts and some allegedly with links to board members.

This had resulted in residents at care facilities going without food at times. The department has repeatedly failed to respond to queries regarding the status of the report and what action it intends taking.

Last year, TimesLIVE reported that a resident at its Phoenix facility died, apparently from food poisoning after allegedly being given old, previously donated food for supper.

And “profoundly disabled” residents of Jona Vaughan Home in Amanzimtoti were left without carers for a week when they walked off the job after not being paid because the department withheld subsidies.

At that time, Mkhize said: “I've been reaching out to the department for renewed service level agreements. Almost 50% of the service users at Jona Vaughan were abandoned by their families. They have nowhere to go. Without the financial support of the department it becomes an impossible task to look after DCMH residents.

“We've done everything in our power to improve the conditions of our service users, but the lack of funding worsens the situation.”

The board was determined to turn around the organisation.

“We understand that change and transformation comes with discomfort and discontent to those who believe that change and transformation will do them a disservice.”

TimesLIVE