'They left her, until she died': Life Esidimeni victim's family

While the Life Esidimeni tragedy which claimed the lives of 144 mental health patients might be a distant memory for many, the families of those who died in inhumane circumstances still deal with grief as they seek accountability eight years later.

The Life Esidimeni Portraits of Lives Lost book launch was held at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton at the weekend. The event was organised by the South African Depression and Anxiety Group , Heinrich Boell Foundation, Section 27 and the Life Esidimeni family committee. 

Committee member Christine Nxumalo shared her heart-wrenching experience of losing her sister Virginia Machpelah.

Nxumalo recalled the painful moment she discovered her sister's death in August 2016 at Precious Angels, an NPO where many patients were relocated.

“Instead of feeding her and cleaning and looking after her, they chose to leave her in a room somewhere unattended, not fed, not anything, until she died. So you can imagine how do you begin to give up or think I’m tired [of fighting for accountability]. I can’t do this any more. Remember, we put her in the facility because we wanted her to be looked after, because we couldn’t. This is just my story. The group is full of them. Some of them are sick, some of them have passed on, but this book has captured their story.”

Nxumalo said the families who lost relatives have supported each other in their fight for justice.

The launch included an exhibition of portraits featuring family members holding images of their deceased loved ones. Nxumalo said these portraits and the accompanying stories “illustrated the profound human cost of the tragedy”. 

Author Harriet Perlman said the book was about a story of not giving up. 

“The book is about tragic stories but it is also an extraordinary fight back and the families who did not give up. I hope the book gives a sense of how civil society can and must hold government to account. We keep saying hold to account but this book tells you how you do that,” said Perlman.

Perlman said the authors struggled to get perspectives from health professionals involved, who were hesitant to speak out due to fear of repercussions.

“We tried to get health professionals to talk to us because many people were carers for the loved ones over 10 to 12 years and nobody would speak to us because they still were employed in government and they were too scared. They said, 'no, I can’t. I’ll lose my job'.”

Advocate Adila Hassim, who represented the families since 2017, underscored the importance of strengthening oversight mechanisms in the Mental Health Act.

“There is an important mechanism in the act called the Mental Health Review Board. It is a board made up not only of people trained in mental health but also the community. It’s an important mechanism that needs to be strengthened, that it’s there and the framework and the law, but it’s about capacitating that body to work properly,” Hassim said.

Sasha Stevenson, human rights lawyer for the Life Esidimeni families and executive director of Section 27, discussed the intersection of politics and healthcare administration.

“What we saw in this case was the blurring of the lines between politics and implementers, between the MEC [Qedani Mahlangu], who was the one who was making statements in parliament and accusing people of using Life Esidimeni as a political tool. The people under her, the people who were qualified in-house, who didn’t feel able to exercise their own professional judgment to be able to make the right call for the health of the people they were dealing with because they had somebody who was so overpowering and who, from a political standpoint, could walk all over them,” Stevenson said.

Nxumalo critiqued the political involvement in healthcare, emphasising the need for expertise over political loyalty.

“There mustn’t be a dotted line. There must be a solid line. Politicians don’t know anything about mental health. They come with their crew of people they trust those who are loyal to them. They don’t have the skills required for that space.”

Nxumalo also emphasised the power politicians hold, which she believes needs addressing to prevent further tragedies.

“The power these people have is ridiculous. You stand up against any of them and literally, your life comes to a halt. The power we give politicians.”

She said the book launch was not only a tribute to those who died but also a powerful call for systemic change, for accountability and reform in mental healthcare.

“We had to sit on the National Prosecuting Authority's neck. I don’t know how many times we went to their offices until they decided to have the inquest.” 

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