News24.com | Gauteng pays R405m to Life Esidimeni victims and families but why no arrests, asks DA official

Gauteng has paid R405 million to the victims of the Life Esidimeni tragedy.

• The DA in Gauteng says the latest report on Life Esidimeni has revealed that R405 million has been paid out to victims.
• Spokesperson Jack Bloom says the report was tabled last week before the province's health committee.
• Bloom said monetary compensation was not enough if no arrests have been made regarding the tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 144 people.

A report tabled in the Gauteng legislature last week revealed that the provincial government paid out R405 million to psychiatric patients housed at unregistered non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in 2016.

The DA's health spokesperson said it revealed that the department received 514 claims, of which 405 were eligible for compensation of R1.2 million each. This amount was split in half between the families and the mental healthcare users if they were still alive.

Bloom added that 134 people initially received payouts following the arbitration led by former deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke in 2018.

A total of 271 more received payments following Moseneke's instruction.  

"Further amounts can be expected to be paid as only 60 mental healthcare users have so far received their portion of the funds. The Office of the Premier has applied for curators to administer these funds, and law firms have been appointed to assist families with an executor for the deceased claim," said Bloom.

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Bloom said that while the payouts were necessary, the lack of arrests was worrying. 

"It is disappointing that no-one has been charged for the murders and the maltreatment seven years after this terrible event. The payouts are necessary but cannot fully compensate for the suffering and the loss of lives.

"The inquest needs to speed up its proceedings, as families will only have closure when the culprits are charged and sentenced," he said.

The Life Esidimeni inquest, which is ongoing, is looking into whether anyone should be held criminally liable for the deaths of the mental health patients who were moved from Life Esidimeni facilities to NGOs.

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