The legal representative of one of the former employees of the Gauteng Health Department, Dr Sophia Lenkwane, has asked the high court in Pretoria
The inquest that resumed this week aims to determine if anyone can be held criminally liable for the deaths of the 144 patients. Most of them died of hunger, dehydration, and stress-related complications during the relocation from the Life Esidimeni in June 2016.Lenkwane’s legal representative Advocate Lerato Maite says her client has been a credible witness throughout the inquest. She argues that her client does not deserve to be punished.
But for some like Ethel Ncube, the owner of Precious Angels NGO who is being accused of negligence and for disregarding the needs of her patients, the law must take its course. Advocate Nasreen Rajab-Budlender, representing the South African Depression and Anxiety Group and 44 families of the deceased patients, made reference to the evidence brought before the court, by witnesses who testified about the first patient’s death that occurred at the NGO.
She wants the court to hold Ncube accountable for the deaths of the patients. 18 patients died at the Precious Angels NGO which received R1 million payout from the provincial government to take care of the patients.