PRESS STATEMENT | Life Esidimeni families and allies, call on NPA to pursue criminal charges ahead of Mental Health Boards meeting

27 May 2025, Johannesburg – On 28 and 29 May 2025, the National Department of Health will convene a national Mental Health Review Boards Meeting to discuss Human Rights in Mental Health, roles and functions of Mental Health Review Boards, optimal functioning and key procedures. This meeting takes place over 6 months after the Life Esidimeni families and supporting organisations held a picket and handed a memorandum of demands to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The families and interest groups demanded that the NPA prioritise the prosecution of Qedani Mahlangu (the former Gauteng Health MEC) and Dr. Makgabo Manamela (the former Director of Mental Health in Gauteng) after the Inquest into the Life Esidimeni deaths found them both criminally negligent.

SECTION27 joins the families in reiterating the urgent call to the NPA, to act without delay and pursue criminal charges against Ms. Mahlangu and Dr. Manamela after Inquest Judge Teffo found them directly responsible for nine of the deaths. 

With the meeting between all Mental Health Review Boards approaching, we hope to bring back into the spotlight the plight of the families whose loved ones died gruesome deaths at the hands of the State. It is now close to a decade long wait for justice for the families. We urge the NPA to prioritise justice in this case.

The memo handed over on 29 October 2024 made the following requests, repeated below: 

We, the families of the Life Esidimeni victims, in accordance with the constitutional mandate for accountability and justice, formally request that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA):

1. Expedite Prosecution Proceedings: We urge the NPA to prioritise the prosecution of Ms. Qedani Mahlangu and Dr. Makgabo Manamela. Recognizing that eight years have passed since the initial events and that families have endured excessive delays, we urge that charges be formalised and brought before the court without further delay.
   
2. Ensure Comprehensive Accountability: The NPA is not limited to the prosecution of Ms. Mahlangu and Dr. Manamela, and we urge the NPA to consider charges against any additional culpable individuals, as appropriate. Full legal accountability for each involved official is paramount in affirming the rule of law and providing due recourse for the victims’ families.
   
3. Commit to Regular Legal Updates to Affected Families: In keeping with principles of transparency and procedural fairness, we call upon the NPA to honour the families’ right to regular and substantive updates on case progress. This request reflects both an ethical and legal obligation to keep victims informed of significant developments in the pursuit of justice.

Justice delayed is justice denied. We will not rest until justice for the 144 mental healthcare users who died and others who were harmed is realised.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Pearl Nicodemus | nicodemus@section27.org.za | 0822982636