Sunday, 19 March 2023 marked five years since then Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke released his report into the Life Esidimeni arbitration hearings.
Christine Nxumalo who serves on the Life Esidimeni family committee said: “I get many requests for help. One of the family members’ children tried to commit suicide seven times.”
It’s been seven years since the lives of the families of patients at Life Esidimeni mental health facilities took a turn for the worse when they discovered their loved ones were being severely neglected and mistreated, and in some cases, died as a result of this.
The meeting among the families comes amid the ongoing inquest that will determine if anyone should be held criminally liable for the death of 144 mental health patients in 2016.
While the families of the Life Esidimeni victims wait for the wheels of justice to turn, they say the festive season is yet another reminder that nothing has been done.