Premier’s budget committee led by Makhura made decision to terminate Life Esidimeni contract, says Qedani Mahlangu

Former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu told the Life Esidimeni inquest that a budget committee led by the then premier, David Makhura, made the decision to terminate the department’s contract with Life Esidemeni, where mental health patients were receiving care.

Mahlangu was appearing at the inquest, held at the high court in Pretoria.

The inquest is to determine whether anyone can be held criminally liable for the deaths of 141 mental healthcare patients after being transferred to unlicensed NGOs from Life Esidimeni facilities.  

Postmortem reports of the deceased mental health patients found that some had plastic in their stomachs, apparently from consuming it out of desperation and hunger. 

On Tuesday, Mahlangu told the hearing that Makhura was part of the entire decision-making process, which was a cost-cutting measure.

“The budget committee which was led by the premier and [finance]MEC, Barbara Creecy made the decision as a cost containment measure. They said the direct savings should be directed to other pressures experienced by the department.

“At the time, the department spent between R250m and R300m annually to pay for medicolegal, which was usually not budgeted for,” Mahlangu told the hearing. 

Previously, Makhura poured cold water over his knowledge of the department’s decision to terminate Life Esidemeni contracts. 

In 2018, Makhura testified at the Life Esidimeni hearings that Mahlangu “misled” him and said patients were only being moved into state institutions.

Makhura in his testimony‚ given under oath at the time, said multiple times that he never knew patients were being sent to NGOs. 

The then finance MEC Creecy also testified‚ under oath‚ that she did not know the end of the Life Esidimeni contract would lead to patients being moved into NGOs.

She produced a presentation showing that Mahlangu explained that patients would be moved into state facilities. 

However, on Tuesday, Mahlangu told the hearing that both Makhura and Creecy knew about the decision and were part of the people who made the decision. 

Mahlangu told the hearing that the decision to terminate the Life Esidimeni was made on October 21, 2015. 

She also said that Makhura was also part of a meeting later, between the department and Nehawu, so it was impossible for him to have had no knowledge that Life Esidimeni contracts were terminated. 

“Nehawu was concerned about the employees at Life Esidimeni and Selby. They wanted the commitment from the Gauteng government that employees from those facilities would be absorbed. The premier was present in that meeting,” Mahlangu said. 

The former health MEC also told the hearing that she relied on a team of qualified health professionals who were running the project to transfer patients after it was decided that the contract with Life Esidimeni needed to be terminated. 

“I had no reason to doubt their decisions. I was the only person without a medical qualification or degree in that team. Everyone was a qualified professional and I relied on their expertise and knowledge,” she said. 

Mahlangu reiterated that the decision to cut costs never originated from the department. 

She then attempted quote a speech delivered by Creecy, which she said was the origin of the cost-cutting measure, but judge Mmonoa Teffo cut her off and said she needed to stick to the topic of Life Esidimeni. 

The hearing has adjourned and will resume on Wednesday. 

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