Money was available to care for mentally ill patients, Barbara Creecy tells hearing
Former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu’s claim that the Life Esidimeni contract was ended to save money was dismantled on Tuesday. Gauteng finance MEC Barbara Creecy debunked the claim while giving evidence at the arbitration hearings into the relocation of patients from Life Esidimeni facilities to poorly equipped nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). She referred to documents that indicated there was money available to look after mentally ill people. The hearings aim to establish why 1‚700 patients were moved from Life Esidimeni homes into NGOs without adequate food or nurses‚ leading to the deaths of 143 patients. Mahlangu and at least three other officials in charge of the project testified under oath that the contract with Life Esidimeni was ended to save money. She said the Gauteng department of health was cash-strapped: "You rob Peter to pay Paul." Acting head of department Ernest Kenoshi also testified that the department owed suppliers R4bn as of April 2017. However, Cre...
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