While NGOs leaders will have to explain at the Life EsidImeni arbitration why more than 140 patients died under their watch, the former Gauteng Health leaders must be held accountable for a project described by one of its executives, Levy Mosenogi, as 'irrational and rushed'.
A week into arbitration, established due to a recommendation in Health Ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba’s Life Esidimeni report, retired Judge Dikgang Moseneke and the various legal teams involved have continued to ask: why? Why was the project implemented despite repeated warnings? Why did so many patients die? “I want to understand the puzzle,” the former deputy chief justice is quoted in a Daily Maverick report as saying.
A handful of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are responsible for a majority of the Life Esidimeni deaths. None of them was properly licensed and many patients died of neglect, particularly of hypothermia and starvation, after reporting no such symptoms at Life Esidimeni.
The report says when Life Esidimeni patients were moved from the facility like cattle, some tied down in bakkies, they left with either partial or no identity and medical records, without anyone informing their relatives as to where they were being sent. The NGOs they went to had neither the experience nor the resources to care for them (the Gauteng Department of Health was paying the NGOs a pittance of what they spent on patients at their own facilities and even then didn’t pay the NGOs for months).
The report says NGO leaders will be called to testify at the arbitration and explain why so many patients died under their watch, but ultimately the former Gauteng health leaders must be held accountable. Levy Mosenogi, the department’s chief director for planning, policy and research, said the project was irrational and rushed. Asked who pressured him, he said, “The executive, Dr Selebano and Ms Qedani Mahlangu.”
The report says Barney Selebano is the suspended former head of the Gauteng Department of Health. Mahlangu is the former MEC. Along with the suspended director of mental health, Dr Makgabo Manamela, the three were the architects of the deadly project and there have been repeated suggestions that they ploughed ahead with their plans, ignoring warnings and intimidating critical staff.
The questions remain: why were the patients moved out of Life Esidimeni and why did they die? Moseneke has been able to gather more pieces of the puzzle and the argument previously offered by Mahlangu have been debunked, the report says. She claimed the department was spending too much money on Esidimeni and needed to follow national guidelines that promoted community care for mental health patients. Yet Esidimeni cost a fraction of what the government spent per patient in its own facilities and the new policy direction was only planned to be implemented years after the Esidimeni move.
Was there an ulterior motive, the report asks?
The report says: “We won’t know until Moseneke and the various legal teams are able to cross-examine Mahlangu and the members of her team in public. The decision to move patients out of Life Esidimeni caused at least 141 deaths. There is suspicion among family members that corruption was involved. Lawyers want to subpoena Mahlangu but ridiculously say she can’t be found. If Moseneke wants to know why this happened, our first task must be to find the former MEC and put her on the stand.”
Ethel Ncube‚ owner of the Precious Angels NGO in which 23 mentally ill adults died‚ has finally admitted that she should not have taken 58 adults into her care. Business Day reports that she has been giving testimony in the arbitration hearings‚ held to give closure to families‚ so they can learn why their loved ones died.
Of the more than 118 psychiatric patients who died between June 2016 and February‚ the highest number of people died at Precious Angels, the report said. Advocate Nontlantla Yina asked her: "Do you think you should have taken these patients?" Ncube answered: "No. My capacity is children."
Ncube runs a daycare facility for disabled and intellectually impaired children‚ as she has a disabled child. She testified that she has no qualification in caring for adults or sick people. She started studying accounting but did not finish‚ and has received a certificate in early childhood education.
Yet, the report said, the Gauteng Department of Health placed 58 elderly‚ frail and mentally ill people in her care. The Health Ombudsman, Malegapuru Makgoba‚ found that patients died from a lack of care due to inexperienced staff‚ a lack of food and from the cold.
Ncube said the Gauteng Department of Health did not give her money for three months. "We did not get paid for three months. Most of the patients were on diapers. We would (use) seven bags of diapers in a day or two." She said she relied on donations from family‚ and used savings from her stokvel groups as well as her mother’s savings to feed patients. She did not pay rent and was evicted. "I suffered‚" she said‚ also disclosing that her car was repossessed.
Inexplicably‚ the report says, Ncube later took in more psychiatric patients‚ until she had 58 staying in two residential homes. She told the court: "(Gauteng department officials and director Dr Makgabo Manamela) asked if we could assist for a period of time. We refused; (the department of health) kept on insisting." Eventually‚ she was paid R100‚000 a month‚ and paid caregivers R1‚700. Ncube testified that in some cases they were short of staff and had to cook in one home‚ then transport food to another about 15 minutes away. Lawyers read out claims that patients had to take turns eating because of a shortage of spoons‚ which Ncube said was "incorrect".
Adults were put in two homes‚ one in Danville and another in Atteridgeville‚ while she also ran a daycare facility for disabled children in Atteridgeville. Yina pointed out that Ncube may have had too much to do: "Between running three centres and having meetings with the department‚ were you are able to oversee patients?"
The report says when Moseneke asked her if it was true that 23 people died in her care from cold and hunger‚ she said that she "objected". Moseneke reiterated: "In six months‚ 23 people under your care died, and you say they died of natural causes?" Ncube replied: "We wouldn’t know – I would also like to get closure and get peace." Moseneke pressed her: "I don’t understand what you are saying killed 23 people under your care." Ncube eventually asserted: "It happened from frustration [of the patients] being moved from pillar to post."
The report says family members sighed and muttered as she failed to answer questions‚ but gave lengthy responses. Moseneke had to tell her multiple times to be brief‚ and eventually exclaimed: "You are being too guarded – just answer the question. I am not judging you. I just want the facts."
The court heard that conditions at Precious Angels were very overcrowded – 37 members were placed in one house with eight rooms‚ with large rooms taking seven people. Section 27 advocate Adila Hassim read out testimony, saying: "Overcrowding meant people were confined to bed‚ when they could have benefited from interacting with patients in gardens". The report said Ncube denied this.
Ncube rubbished Makgoba's damning report about the inadequacy of her premises, adding that she would provide evidence to the contrary, says an IoL report. Reading out Makgoba's damning report on Precious Angels, Hassim said: "It says here that there was not enough space at the premises, the beds were too close to each other that a door could not be closed. The ceiling leaked as well." Ncube objected, adding that evidence she would submit to the hearing would paint a different picture from Makgoba's report. "That is not true. The only issue was the ceiling, but it was not leaking…it just needed to (be) closed up. Evidence will show that everything said here is not true…we had a cook, cleaner and a security guard," she said. It was not true that the premises did not have hot running water, she added.
Moseneke asked her if she disagreed with the report that the patients died of starvation and extreme cold weather. "I totally object…that is not true. I am not a medical professional and that's why we agreed on post-mortems to be done in order to ascertain causes of death," she said.
Makgoba's report found that Precious Angels operated under an irregular licence issued by provincial health department's chief director of planning, Levy Mosenogi, a contravention of the Mental Health Act. "The high number of deaths at the NGOs, mainly Precious Angels, could reflect inexperience of the NGO staff in detecting medical problems in mentally disabled patients and difficulty in obtaining timely transport to hospital," read the report.
Moseneke asked her what she thought killed her 23 patients within a space of six months.
The report says Ncube conceded that she was only trained in early childhood development, and not care for adults or mental patients. She added that she received training in accounting but never completed her studies.
Hassim said families of the deceased would testify about their experiences at the NGO and on the aftermath of the deaths of their loved ones.
Ncube said she was given medication for 28 weeks when the patients arrived, reports The Citizen. Most of them did not have complete medical records, identity documents or South Africa Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards. “The department was supposed to do assessments, ensure files were kept and in order. There were no Sassa cards, we were told the cards would be stopped, and we would have to reapply at the social department. I asked the local clinic to come do medical assessments, caregivers looked after the patients on a daily basis.”
The report says earlier, social worker Daphney Ndhlovu from Cullinan Care finished her testimony and apologised to the families for the Esidimeni tragedy. She further pleaded with them contact her, as there were still unidentified patients who were alive and six unidentified corpses in mortuaries. One corpse had been lying in a mortuary for more than a year and four months. She ended her testimony saying: “I humbly apologise to the families, I did not mean to hurt anyone. I am still here for the families to help out wherever I can.”
Ndhlovu says that she and other social workers were stressed during the time when Esidimeni patients were being moved to the Cullinan Care Rehabilitation Centre because they were dying in very large numbers. Eyewitness News reports that Ndhlovu has described the time patients were moved as hectic.
“We were going up and down going to fetch the patients, discharging some patients. Sometimes when you come back to the institution, patients are sick, being taken to the hospital. It was indeed very hectic last year.”
It has also been revealed that some families were notified of their loved one’s deaths almost a year later. Section 27's lawyer Nicky Stein, who represents the families of 55 people who died, has revealed how two patients died around July last year but their families were only notified about their deaths this February.
Stein said that in one case, officials themselves did not know where the patient was, until finally eight months later, social workers realised the patient had died and was in a state mortuary.
The report says Ndhlovu conceded to these shocking details.
Moseneke asked: “On the facts here that you visited the family in February 2017 and he died in July 2016." Ndhlovu responded: “In this case it is correct. I remember telling that the patient passed on long time ago (sic).”
The report says as this was being discussed, a family member whose father died but his family was not told for months, walked out of the room crying.
Ndhlovu told the hearing many of the patients who were hastily moved to the NGO where she works did not fit the necessary criteria. She said this means some of the patients from Esidimeni were not supposed to be housed at the NGO to begin with. “According to the initial agreement, the CEO informed us there is going to be a multi-disciplinary team from Cullinan to Life Esidimeni to select the patients according to the criteria of our institution. But that has never happened.”
The report says more social workers and psychologists from NGOs are expected to take the stand before the family members of those who died are called.
Ndhlovu testified how the CCRC took in 267 patients when it only had capacity for 150. But, says a News24 report, she denied that nearly doubling the patient intake at the centre was the reason why some had died, as a result of severe starvation and dehydration. "There was food; there was water for the patients. We didn't experience shortage of food after receiving all the patients," she said.
Ndhlovu testified that patients, who were in the centre, had to be moved to two other NGOs – Anchor and Siyabadinga – which were on the same premises as CCRC, and that the criteria to move patients were based on who was mobile.
Ndhlovu told the hearings that a number of patients had arrived at CCRC without ID books, medical records, medicine or contact information for their families.
The acting head of Gauteng’s Health Department‚ Ernest Kenoshi‚ testified on day five of the hearings. And, The Times reports, six of the latest bombshells to emerge are:.
1. 141 patients have died. The number of people who died was 118 up until February‚ but this has risen to 141‚ including the 23 deaths from February to September.
But the number of deaths has shrunk below the monthly number of deaths at Life Esidimeni‚ said Kenoshi. Life Healthcare previously testified that‚ on average‚ seven patients died a month.
2. The Gauteng Health Department owes R4bn to suppliers. Kenoshi was asked if the department was in financial trouble and whether that was the reason patients were moved from Life Esidimeni into places run by nongovernmental organisations.
Kenoshi said he didn’t know the reason for them being moved was because he hadn't been involved. But he told hearing Judge Dikgang Moseneke that at the end of financial year there was a "R4bn accrual in debt invoices for suppliers and contractors".
3. Only 26 post-mortem examinations were done. Post-mortems have not been handed to lawyers in the arbitration because the health department has been unable to get them from the police. Twenty-one post-mortem reports are still with the pathologists.
Kenoshi said: "We have worked with specific families to obtain reports. We have failed in that process. We have told that‚ legally‚ the reports should be held by SAPS."
State advocate Tebogo Hutamo said the police had explained that 21 post-mortems had not been completed. These are from patients that mostly died before February.
4. Patients had not been bathed when they were "rescued from NGOs". In February‚ when the health department was involved in removing people from the NGOs’ facilities‚ they had to take food from the state hospital with them. Kenoshi said: "Some patients had not been bathed" and the health department had worked through the night to save lives.
5. There were no medical records or names of patients and their families. Kenoshi said: "When the department got involved‚ there were no accurate records of patients and families at all. Just compiling figures (of the dead) from nothing was not easy."
6. The Precious Angels NGO owner pretended to be a family member. Kenoshi testified that the owner of Precious Angels pretended to be a family member and had signed for three bodies that to be give a paupers burial. She has no authority to do this.
On day three of the hearings lawyers for the families and Moseneke pressed Gauteng Health chief planning director, Levy Mosenogi for answers about who took the decision to transfer mentally ill patients into NGOs, reports Health-e News. Mosenogi, who was a project manager responsible for patients’ removal, had a hard time giving direct answers and at times conceded to not being aware of certain developments at various stages of the planned moves. The report said he also admitted to not reading letters from organisations opposed to the transfers.
Legal Aid counsel Lilla Crouse asked Mosenogi if he had read a judgment in March 2016 in which a high court judge had cautioned the department against placing adults with children, and the potential overcrowding it would cause. Mosenogi said he did not remember whether he read the judgment Crouse was referring to, only saying he had “read a lot of papers during that time”. “As a responsible project manager, you would have read the judgment. To make sure what the judge says. Don’t you agree with me now thinking back to who you are?” After a long silence, Mosenogi responded that he had. Under further cross-examination, he admitted to only becoming aware of the first death four months after it occurred.
And, the report said, Moseneke was at pains to get clarity on why Mosenogi forged ahead with a decision that resulted in 118 deaths. “Why did you do this? Why did you move people to NGOs with no proper service level agreements? With no resources?”
NGOs ill-equipped
Earlier Mosenogi admitted that officials were aware that the NGOs where the department moved patients to did not have the 2000 beds required to admit all the patients. “I should have been much more stronger in my contestation of this thing. Maybe I should have pulled out. It did cross my mind that maybe I should pull out, but when I saw the conditions the patients were in, I thought maybe I would make a difference,” the report said Mosenogi admitted.
Mosenogi also told the hearings he had raised concerns about moving patients to the ill-equipped NGOs in prayer meetings he attended, as well as informally with his comrades at branches when the former MEC Qedani Mahlangu did not act on them. Mahlangu was painted as ‘difficult to reach’. Moseneke asked him why he didn’t then raise the issues with someone more senior than the MEC instead of going ahead with a dangerous plan. “I should have done that,” Mosenogi responded. “I think I should have raised it formally. And also I should have raised it with the Premier. I did not do that.”
The report said Mosenogi, who ended his testimony by apologising to weeping family members, told the arbitration that he regretted the way in which events had transpired. Mosenogi, explaining that he was not scared of Mahlangu, said: “Maybe the Department of Health should be run by people who know about health. It would have been far better.”
Despite seven Life Esidimeni patients people dying at Mosego Home in Krugersdorp on the West Rand‚ and a recommendation by the health ombudsman that it be closed, The Times reports that the NGO‚ consisting of a row of houses‚ remains open. Gauteng Health acting head of department Dr Ernest Kenoshi testified at the hearings that the NGO was one of six homes that are still open.
The report says when Makgoba released his report on the Life Esidimeni saga‚ he said that various homes must be closed "immediately as their continuity poses high risk".
The report said on visiting the Mosego home, no patients could be seen sitting in the garden. A security guard and nurse said they could not speak to the media and barred a reporter from entering the home.
Makgoba noted in his report that Mosego directors knew the facility did not have capacity for mentally ill patients but took them anyway. He listed details on how Marie Collitz's husband died at the NGO. "Two hours before Freddie Collitz passed away in the care of the Mosego Home in Krugersdorp‚ an old age home for psychiatric patients; he apparently had a wound to the head‚ blisters around the ankles and a sore on his nose. Additionally‚ photos show how wasted he was."
When family visited him they were not allowed inside and had to sit on the veranda. When they forced their way inside‚ Collitz's son reported that beds had no sheets or blankets. The ombudsman said Freddie used a shoelace to keep up his pants as he had lost so much weight.
Marina Jamnik-Schmidt whose brother Nicholas died at the NGO‚ said a post mortem revealed how thin he was. Jamnik-Schmidt is quoted in the report as saying that when she went into the home a few weeks after his death‚ that it did not look lived in and was clean. Elderly patients were sitting outside on boxes "staring into space". Another family member said he visited a relative and discovered an untreated‚ infected wound and doctors’ reports later described the relative as "wasted".
The ombudsman reported that Takalani NGO for intellectually disabled children‚ where other patients died ‚ was also inexplicably trading under Mosego's licence. The report says Mosego appealed the ombudsman's findings about it and went before a tribunal headed by retired Judge Bernard Ngoepe. The owner‚ who only gave her name as Elizabeth‚ is quoted as saying that the tribunal had cleared Mosego of the allegations and said the ombudsman was "talking lies".
She said the Mosego homes had been in existence for 10 years and had doctors and nurses working there with former matrons from Life Esidimeni. "I even know the secrets of Life Esidimeni‚ but I don't want to talk about that." According to the report, she said she would provide a report clearing the home.
"I am in bed. I am sick and it is not my working day … I am not opening my emails on the weekend and on Sunday. It's your deadline. It's not my deadline‚" she said.
The home now has four television sets for patients and receives regular inspections from the provincial health department.
Elizabeth said she had a valid operating licence from the Gauteng Department of Health.
Malebona Precious Matsoso, the director general of the National Department of Health, told the hearing that the government had set up a task team to help trace and identify patients, but they were unable to trace 59 patients whose Sassa grants were still being withdrawn every month, reports Polity.
To the gasps of some family members in the audience, Matsoso also said there were seven patients who had passed away who hadn’t been identified yet and whose families must still be traced. An emotional Matsoso said: "I want to apologise for the failures… something like this should never have happened."
Moseneke responded: "Thank you for the apology. We do need a responsive government; we need a caring government… These responses have been heartening. Wrongs ought to be corrected. Those who hold power should be able to respond to those who don’t hold power.”
The actions of the Gauteng Department of Health in the matter had gone against the Constitution, South Africa’s domestic laws, as well as international conventions when the department ended its contract with Life Esidimeni and transferred patients to various NGOs throughout the province. News24 reports that this is according to Advocate Dirk Groenewald, who said in his opening statement at the hearings: "Remembering it we must, not because of our reluctance for closure or forgiveness, but because this is how we as a people will pay our respect for those who died and suffered … how we will remain vigilant to hold government accountable and how we will ensure that such atrocities do not befall our democratic state again."
Advocate Adila Hassim, who represents 55 families on behalf of Section 27, said the arbitration hearing would be an opportunity for families to tell their side of how they endured pain following the treatment of their family members. "The sorry tale of extreme neglect, insufficient or rotten food, exposure to cold, lack of medication, overcrowding, abuse, death, late notifications of death, picking through bodies stacked upon each other in morgues is best told by the families themselves," she said.
Hassim said the department’s decision to terminate its contract with Life Esidimeni was based on two reasons – costs or resource constraints and "deinstitutionalising".
"What was the motivation that drove this course of action? The burden of answering this lies with the government," she said.
The Times reports that numbers have emerged in the hearings that tell stories of the tragedy. It notes, however, that the numbers do change after each person’s testimony. Part of the reason for the changing numbers is because when new staff in the Gauteng Department of Health took over to fix the mess‚ there were no records of what happened to patients. Acting head of Gauteng Health Department Dr Ernest Kenoshi testified that creating new records and tracing where people were was very difficult.
The numbers at this time are:
11: The number of dead people represented by Section 27 that are not on the ombudsman's list of 118 dead who died by February last year. The deaths may have occurred‚ after the ombudsman's duty ended.
59: Untraced people discharged from Esidimeni‚ who are still drawing a SASSA disability or pension grant. It is not known if they are alive or dead‚ but reports have surfaced of NGOs drawing grants after patients had died.
1‚712: The final number of those moved from Esidimeni into hospitals‚ NGOs without a written transport plan.
532: The number of patients moved without identity documents meaning NGOs could not access the SASSA disability grants needed for the patients' upkeep. 2 months The period in which vulnerable chronically ill patients were moved on bakkies‚ in buses and ambulances into hospital and to NGOs without beds.
7: The number of unidentified dead bodies.
59: The number of patients who died that are represented by families that have come forward. It is not known where families of the more than 59 other dead are.
55: The number of names Section 27 advocate Adila Hassim read out on Day 1 to give a face to the dead.
1: The number of horse stables converted into an 'NGO' for patients
5‚000: The number of patients in NGOs in the province‚ many which are not "suitable".
R112: The amount per day per ill patient the NGOs were supposed to receive.
3 weeks: The time frame for the arbitration hearings in which families are bussed in‚ fed and senior lawyers paid to represent the state. It could be extended‚ next year.
17: The number of family members who will testify.
Unknown???: Moseneke has to decide what figure to award families of the dead. A court of law would not pay anything because negligence payouts are linked to loss of earnings and the deceased were not working. "There is a quite a big debate to be had here. If you have no money whatsoever‚ do we just say sorry if you’re dead‚" he is quoted as saying.
7: The number of patients that died a month at Life Esidimeni homes that held about 2‚000 people.
35: The number of almost complete police dockets opened on deaths of patients.
70: The number of people who had not been at Life Esidimeni‚ but were moved from dodgy NGOs by the Gauteng Department of Health‚ as they were found in a bad state.
1: The number of butcheries converted into mortuaries.
Questions have been raised about whether or not the former Gauteng Health MEC will avoid being subpoenaed to testify before the arbitration process into the Esidimeni tragedy. According to an Eyewitness News report, officials say they have not been able to obtain a physical address for Mahlangu. It is understood that Mahlangu is currently overseas to further her studies making it difficult for her to give evidence.
The report says Arbitration Act 42 of 1965 gives the arbitrator the power to summons a witness compelling them to testify before proceedings and forces them to provide books and documents. However, if the arbitrator cannot find an address for Mahlangu it will mean that she can't be served, making it difficult for her to be subpoenaed.
The report says the former MEC is seen as a central figure in the Esidimeni tragedy and resigned on the eve of the release of the Health Ombudsman’s damning report. Government officials who testified last week, all told Moseneke that they believe that Mahlangu should be called to account for her part in the tragedy.
The disciplinary processes against two senior Gauteng health department officials have, meanwhile, been suspended pending the outcome of their appeal against the health ombudsman’s findings on their role in the deaths of more than 100 state mental patients. Business Day reports that this new information was revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa in a written reply to questions from DA provincial health spokesperson Jack Bloom.
In her reply, she detailed the disciplinary charges brought against Selebano and Manamela, for their roles in the transfer of the patients. Both have been charged with fraud, misleading the provincial legislature and the public, breaching the Public Finance Management Act and section 217 of the Constitution, negligence, dereliction of duty, and bringing the department into disrepute. Selebano has also been charged with misleading the Health Ombudsman, while Manamela has also been charged with breaching the Mental Healthcare Act.
Ramokgopa said the High Court in Pretoria had ordered that their disciplinary hearing be put on hold pending the finalisation of their appeal against the findings of the Health Ombudsman after his investigation into the tragedy.
The report says Selebano and Manamela have yet to appear before the ad hoc tribunal set up by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi in March to hear their appeal. It is understood that they will appear in the week from 23 October.
Ramokgopa said both officials continued to receive pay while on suspension: Selebano was paid R821,078 and Manamela R491,965 between February 1 and September 30. A further R1.145m had been spent on consultants and legal fees relating to the matter so far.
"I am dismayed by the delay in the appeal process and the disciplinary cases," Bloom is quoted in the report as saying.
"I am also concerned that the police investigation is so slow and that 21 post-mortem reports have not been completed as disclosed in the current Esidimeni arbitration hearings.
"The intended result of these hearings is redress and compensation to the relatives of the deceased patients, but real justice will only be achieved when the perpetrators are charged and convicted in court.
"This must include former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu, who is the prime person to blame for the tragedy," he said.
The Human Rights Commission is to launch its own comprehensive investigation into the sector, chair Bongani Majola told MPs. According to a report in Die Burger, Majola said the investigation would get under way in November. It is one of the recommendations contained in the report of the Health Ombudsman.
Majola warned that the investigation would take much longer than anticipated due to a lack of resources. ‘Our hearings were supposed to start in August, but a week before they were scheduled to start our external expert withdrew,’ Majola said.
There was a further delay as the HRC had to engage National Treasury to assign a budget for the investigation.
[link url="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-10-16-life-esidimeni-former-mec-qedani-mahlangu-needs-to-be-put-on-the-stand-to-tell-us-why/#.WeWVFzCxXIU"]Daily Maverick report[/link]
[link url="https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/health/2017-10-17-precious-angels-owner-admits-she-should-not-have-taken-in-58-psychiatric-patients/"]Business Day report[/link]
[link url="https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/life-esidimeni-ceiling-wasnt-leaking-it-just-needed-to-be-closed-11605292"]IoL report[/link]
[link url="https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1692773/esidimeni-arbitration-ngo-owner-details-funding-difficulties-breaks-down/"]The Citizen report[/link]
[link url="http://ewn.co.za/2017/10/17/esidimeni-tragedy-a-patient-died-almost-every-second-day-social-worker-tells"]Eyewitness News report[/link]
[link url="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/life-esidimeni-family-learns-of-mans-death-more-than-6-months-later-20171016"]News24 report[/link]
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-10-13-six-shockers-from-esidimeni-hearings/"]The Times report[/link]
[link url="https://www.health-e.org.za/2017/10/12/esidimeni-day-3-mec-mahlangu-difficult-reach/"]Health-e News report[/link]
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-10-16-ngo-where-life-esidimeni-patients-died-still-open-despite-order-to-close/"]The Times report[/link]
[link url="http://www.polity.org.za/article/59-life-esidimeni-patients-unaccounted-for-7-who-died-remain-unidentified-2017-10-12"]Polity report[/link]
[link url="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/life-esidimeni-the-greatest-cause-of-human-right-violations-since-democracy-20171009"]News24 report[/link]
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-10-17-the-life-esidimeni-tragedy-in-numbers/"]The Times report[/link]
[link url="https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2017-10-16-life-esidimeni-suspects-not-yet-facing-discipline/"]Business Day report[/link]
[link url="https://www.netwerk24.com/Nuus/Gesondheid/esidimeni-dodetal-nou-141-59-pasiente-nog-weg-20171013"]Die Burger report[/link]