Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and Gauteng Premier David Makhura have reached an agreement with representatives of the families and relatives of the victims of the Life Esidimeni tragedy agreeing to appoint retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke to lead the Alternative Dispute Resolution process, says a Polity report.
The report of the Health Ombudsman recommends that “the National Minister must facilitate a process jointly with the Premier of the Province to contact all affected individuals and families and enter into an Alternative Dispute Resolution process”.
Justice Moseneke has agreed to lead the alternative dispute resolution process and will at the earliest convenience convene a meeting with all the parties to outline the mediation process. The report says the Office of the Premier will provide any support that the mediator may require to facilitate the dispute resolution process.
The DA said it “welcomed” Moseneke’s appointment which, it notes, is in line with the Health Ombudsman’s recommendation that the minister of health must facilitate a process jointly with the premier to contact all affected individuals and families, and enter into an alternative dispute resolution process, and that “a credible prominent South African with an established track record should lead such a process”.
DA provincial spokesperson on health, Jack Bloom, said in a Polity report that the party supported this approach which avoids long-drawn-out legal proceedings as had occurred with the Marikana deaths.
Bloom was the one who blew the whistle about the Life Esidimeni tragedy during Qedani Mahlangu’s tenure as MEC for Health, the report says.
“A fair settlement for the relatives should include financial compensation, while bearing in mind that no amount of money can recompense for the loss of a loved one,” Bloom said. “Moseneke is an excellent choice as he has the integrity and competence to ensure appropriate recompense and closure for the Esidimeni families. My concern is that police investigations into the Esidimeni deaths have been inexcusably slow.”
Bloom said all those implicated in the deaths should be “swiftly brought to justice”.
[link url="http://www.polity.org.za/article/sa-government-and-life-esidimeni-families-reach-agreement-on-alternative-dispute-resolution-2017-07-20"]Polity report[/link]
[link url="http://www.polity.org.za/article/moseneke-appointment-to-lead-esidimeni-dispute-resolution-gets-da-thumbs-up-2017-07-21"]Polity report[/link]