EFF members in the Gauteng legislature laid murder charges against former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and the entire Gauteng cabinet on Thursday.
This comes with the release of a damning report showing that 94 mental patients died due to the provincial health department’s negligence.
The move also follows Mahlangu’s resignation as both health MEC and as a member of the provincial legislature. Her resignation came in the wake of the Health Ombudsman’s report on her department’s handling of the deaths.
“In instances like this‚ the [former] MEC cannot be held responsible by herself‚ the premier is also responsible as executive head of government in the province, and he and the entire cabinet of the ANC government in the Gauteng province must take responsibility‚” said the EFF's deputy chairperson in Gauteng, Mandisa Mashego.
She was addressing members of the media after the EFF laid charges of murder against Mahlangu‚ Gauteng Premier David Makhura and his cabinet at the Johannesburg Central Police Station on Thursday afternoon.
While other parties have described the Gauteng health department’s handling of the transfer of mentally ill patients to nongovernmental organisation (NGO) facilities as “appalling“‚ they also see Mahlangu’s resignation as not good enough.
The Health Ombudsman revealed on Wednesday that 27 NGOs that received patients transferred from Life Esidimeni were operating unlawfully.
At least 1‚300 patients were transferred between April and June last year when the provincial health department terminated its contract with Life Esidimeni after 40 years of service.
“We wanted them not to shut down the Life Esidimeni hospital because they were not ready, and it was evident. So all of them must fall and all of them must take responsibility for this because it’s not fair to only point fingers at one person when the entire system is rotten‚” said Mashego.
The EFF described the incident as being worse than the Marikana massacre in terms of numbers.
The ANC Youth League in the province is expected to lay similar charges against Mahlangu and Makhura.
Efforts to get comment from Gauteng health department spokesperson Steve Mabona were unsuccessful.
The DA’s Jack Bloom said earlier on Thursday: "It took 141 days for Mahlangu to resign following the first disclosure of deaths in reply to my question in the Gauteng legislature, on September 13 last year.
"Premier Makhura has failed badly in this matter and needs to keep his promises to ensure that action is taken against all those implicated‚ including criminal charges."
The DA’s health spokesperson said Mahlangu’s replacement‚ Dr Gwen Ramokgopa‚ was a poor MEC when she was in charge.
"I am not impressed with the return of Dr Gwen Ramokgopa as MEC of the Gauteng health department‚" said Bloom. "She was mediocre in this position previously and does not have the drive to fix this deeply dysfunctional department."
TMG Digital
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