ICYMI: 

‘These NGOs are dishonest’, Qedani Mahlangu said in Life Esidimeni email 

Former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu has been accused of withholding the truth from the provincial legislature regarding the challenges being faced by NGOs after she was alerted of the challenges ahead of her appearance before the legislature.

As the Life Esidimeni saga was unfolding, Mahlangu initially reported to the legislature that she had only received one complaint about an inadequate NGO, despite receiving a complaint from Section 27 and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) about the state of the Precious Angels facility. 

“At the time, I was made to believe that the information was correct and in the absence [of more information], I could not have answered [the legislature] differently,” she told the Life Esidimeni hearings on Monday.

Mahlangu said she believed that things were going well at the facilities because the head of department (HOD), Dr Barney Selebano, and former health head Makgabo Manamela, who informed her of all the processes regarding the NGOs, had not alerted her of any challenges before she provided answers to the legislature’s health committee.