Families of the Life Esidimeni victims call on NPA for speedy prosecution

Loading player...
The families of the Life Esidimeni victims have called on the National Prosecuting Authority to prioritise the prosecution of two former government officials believed to have caused the death of some mental health patients. More than 140 people died in 2016 during a botched transfer project that moved psychiatric patients from private facilities to ill-equipped State hospitals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Earlier this year, an inquest ruled that the negligent conduct of former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and former Gauteng Mental Health Director Dr Makgabo Manamela caused at least nine of the deaths. Phemelo speaks to Christine Nxumalo whose sister, Virginia died in 2016, Section 27 Executive Director, Sasha Stevenson and DA Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom.
29 Oct 2024 4PM English South Africa Education · Careers

Other recent episodes

Judgement for the Women of Afghanistan Tribunal

A major human rights moment unfolds in The Hague on 11 December as the People’s Tribunal for the Women of Afghanistan delivers its final judgement. The Tribunal led by the Permanent People’s Tribunal and Afghan civil society documents the Taliban’s systematic violations of women’s rights and the crime of gender…
11 Dec 3PM 18 min

Localised Breach in 2025 NSC Exams Confirmed

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has confirmed a contained, localised breach in the 2025 National Senior Certificate exams and says the system worked exactly as it should. Markers picked up irregularities in six English Home Language Paper 2 scripts, prompting an investigation after Gauteng officials first flagged suspicious similarities to…
11 Dec 3PM 10 min

DA Challenges City of Joburg Over Unfunded R10bn SAMWU Deal

The DA has formally written to the City of Johannesburg demanding answers over a politically brokered SAMWU agreement that could bind the City to an unfunded R10 billion commitments until 2027. Though council was told the deal depended on “available funds,” the DA says no such funds exist — raising…
10 Dec 3PM 26 min

DA’s Legal Threat Clouds NDPP Interviews

The Democratic Alliance threw a curveball at the start of Wednesday’s interviews for South Africa’s next NDPP, with Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi revealing the party’s lawyers had threatened an urgent court interdict to stop the process. Kubayi dismissed the move as “misguided,” saying the urgency was “self-inflicted” and that government…
10 Dec 3PM 15 min

Brand SA Launches ‘Justice in Your Hands’ Amid GBV Surge

With femicide up 33.8% and more than 7.3 million women having faced physical violence, Brand South Africa has launched its “Justice in Your Hands” campaign to drive national support for GBV survivors. The campaign follows the President’s declaration of GBV as a national crisis and aims to boost awareness of…
10 Dec 3PM 12 min