Life Esidimeni inquest delayed again

The Life Esidimeni inquest has been postponed once again. 

Today several legal representatives said they did not have adequate time to access a slew of documents relevant to the inquest or to consult with their clients. 

Advocate Russel Sibara who’s representing the Gauteng Health Department’s former mental health director, Makgabo Manamela told the inquest his client was inadequately represented when proceedings began. Sibara also took exception that the findings of Life Esidimeni Arbitration hearings which concluded in 2018 were admitted into record without Manamela’s permission. 

He argued that the report was merely a tool used to deal with arbitration in respect of compensation and should therefore not be admitted as evidence in an inquest. The inquest aims to determine if anyone should be held criminally liable for the deaths of 144 mental health patients. 

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