Pretoria - Former Gauteng health department head Dr Tiego (Barney) Selebano yesterday said he heard for the first time via the media in August 2016 that some patients who were moved from Life Esidimeni facilities to various NGOs had died.
He then immediately took action and did what he could, Selebano told Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, Judge Mmonoa Teffo during a virtual hearing.
Selebano, who took the witness stand yesterday in the Life Esidimeni inquest, was head of the department during the death of about 144 mentally ill patients who were moved from Life Esidimeni facilities to NGOs which were not equipped to deal with them.
The inquest is being held to determine who, if anyone, should be held criminally liable for the tragedy.
Selebano said he met various health department heads after he heard about the deaths, and they all in turn met public safety and high-ranking officials within the police, to whom they reported the matter.
Selebano said there was not much he could do at the time to stop the rolling out of the project to move patients to NGOs because by then the patients had already been moved.
But he said he was in constant communication with then minister of health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, after he heard about the deaths. “I had a lot of discussions with the minister. The minister said I had to go and close those NGOs, we cannot afford any more deaths. He said it will not go well with the country.”
Selebano said he was not in a position to simply close all the implicated NGOs and he urged the minister at the time to speak to then Gauteng health director Dr Makgabo Manamela about the issue.
Selebano said he did what he could and the patients who were still at the NGOs were moved to other healthcare facilities. He also visited some of the facilities where patients had died, and he and heads of healthcare facilities such as Weskoppies Hospital, made a plan to move the patients from the NGOs.
“And we did it,” Selebano said.
He earlier testified that weekly meetings were held in the months leading up to the transfer of the patients to various NGOs to check on the implementation and the progress of the plan.
Selebano said Manamela chaired these meetings.
He said a letter by Life Esidimeni project leader, Levy Mosenogi was sent to Manamela, on which he was copied.
Mosenogi expressed his concerns about the hasty move of the patients, but while this was mentioned during one of the meetings, not much was done about it.
It also came to light that some of the families were concerned about the move of their loved ones.
Selebano said he was aware of an urgent application in 2016 when the South African Depression and Anxiety Group and other concerned parties asked the High Court in Joburg to stop the Gauteng health department from moving the patients. The application was, however, at the time turned down.
Judge Teffo, at the start of yesterday’s proceedings told Selebano that seeing that he is “an interested party” in these proceedings, he has the right not to answer questions which he felt could compromise him.
Various counsel representing parties to the inquest proceedings told Judge Teffo at the end of Selebano’s main evidence yesterday, that they needed time to prepare before they could cross-examine him. It is expected that he will be questioned regarding the events from today.
Many of the parties, however, said they had no questions for him, but they reserved their rights in this regard.
Manamela is expected to be back in court tomorrow after she was booked off sick by a doctor last week. A warrant of arrest has been authorised for her, but Judge Teffo held it over until tomorrow in order to see whether she pitched at court or what the situation is.
Manamela earlier asked for a postponement so that she could prepare for her evidence. This was refused by Judge Teffo, but Manamela subsequently fell ill.
She was supposed to take the stand before Selebano, but it is now expected that she will deliver her evidence once he has concluded his.
Pretoria News