The second week into the cross-examination of former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in the Pretoria high court started with interruptions and her being reprimanded for not answering questions properly.
Advocate Adila Hassim, representing public interest law centre Section 27 and the families of the mental healthcare users, dealt with the letter from the Society of Psychiatrists on their primary concern of the reduction of beds at Life Esidimeni.
She sought Mahlangu’s evidence on whether she thought the deinstitutionalisation of mental health patients was undertaken at a rapid pace, and of details of certain meetings where the decision to terminate the contract took place.
“It’s impossible for me to remember everything I did there or actions I took or didn’t take,” said Mahlangu.
She said the decision to close Life Esidimeni was to curb spending and save more than R300m.
“I would like to repeat that we were not going to throw any patients away. We are saving the R300m that we are spending at Life.
“If we have R300m to pay for these patients, great, let’s go ahead with the contract. But we don’t have the money,” she said.
There was a discussion in the legislature about the LE contract and the members were saying it should not be cancelled. I can’t remember the concept.
— Qedani Mahlangu
Mahlangu was grilled on Friday by state advocate Willem Pienaar on her role in the seemingly rushed process of moving about 2,000 mental health patients from Life Esidimeni facilities to NGOs around the province between March and August 2016.
Adv Phyllis Vorster, counsel for the families of four mental healthcare users, asked why Mahlangu went on Radio 702 to ask the public for donations during the move.
“I was informed that there was a problem with some of the patients who arrived without shoes. I thought it was necessary to call the public for assistance. The department was always under financial difficulties,” said Mahlangu.
Mahlangu said she provided her cellphone number to the families to reach her for any concerns.
“I received two calls, one was a gentleman, he came to the department and we met with him. He was looking after a patient in Life Esidimeni and the mother was in the US. He wanted to hear what the department’s plan was.
“The next call was from a family where one of the patients had died,” said Mahlangu.
In regards to the comment on saving millions for the department, she said her role was to execute decisions.
“There was a discussion in the legislature about the LE contract and the members were saying it should not be cancelled. I can’t remember the concept,” said Mahlangu.
Asked if she was not defending the decision, she said the move to terminate was binding on her.
She had said earlier the move that resulted in the deaths of 141 mental health patients could have been handled better.
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