Gauteng Health denies 'losing' dozens of Life Esidimeni patients
The Gauteng Health Department has rejected claims by the Democratic Alliance (DA) that it had lost 62 mental health patients during the Life Esidimeni tragedy.
At least 143 people died after the department moved mentally-ill patients from Life Esidimeni to unregistered and ill-equipped NGOs.
The DA's Jack Bloom now claims that he is in possession of an email which seeks to find 62 unallocated patients.
The email was allegedly sent by the Mental Health Directorate's Ramaboea Semetji to NGO managers.
Semetji has rejected claims that he sent the email.
"I have never dealt with the NGOs in my entire life. I have never had any interactions with NGOs. They have forged my signature if it is there."
The DA's Jack Bloom however insists that the email is genuine.
"It was sent to me by one of the NGOs who received it and I can see where they [the department] send it too. I don't know why the department is lying."
The department's Thabo Masepe says the list is fake and all patients have been allocated.
"I really don't know where this 62 comes from. We were given the number of NGOs, the joint team went to all those NGOs. They were able to identify all the mental health care users that were initially transferred from Life Esidimeni facilities and all of them were moved from those NGOs to new facilities that were set up by the government."
Both the head of department, Barney Selebano, and director of mental health, Makgabo Manamela, tendered their resignations last week.