Cape Town – As Australian cricket continues to seek answers following a ball tampering saga that has plagued their national team’s tour of South Africa, the Proteas go into the final Test in Johannesburg 2-1 up in the series. 

READ: Open letter to Steve Smith from Australian cricket fan and father

A 322-run win in Cape Town was South Africa’s biggest win, in terms of runs, over Australia since re-admission. 

This Test, however, will be remembered as the one that saw Australian captain Steve Smith admit to coming up with an intricate plan to tamper with the ball. 

Smith has since been banned for a Test and was stood down as captain for the remainder of the third Test at Newlands, but things could get significantly worse for him in the coming days. 

Cricket Australia are conducting their own investigation into the matter, and it doesn’t look good for Smith with the outcry from back home coming from former cricketers to the Prime Minister. 

Certainly the biggest scandal to have rocked the series so far, the ball tampering at Newlands was hardly the first. 

David Warner’s tunnel altercation with Quinton de Kock in Durban spiralled out of control, Kagiso Rabada’s shoulder bump in PE did the same and then, in Cape Town, Australian coach Darren Lehmann labelled South African fans “disgraceful” after their alleged abuse of Australia’s players. 

Throughout the whole series, in fact, there have been little side stories that have had little to do with cricket dominating headlines. 

Proteas captain Faf du Plessis simply can’t believe the nature of the series so far.

“It has been bizarre, crazy, ridiculous,” he said after his side’s win in Cape Town.

“We joke about it, but it’s literally like a soap opera.

“There is something happening every day and it is a shame because this has been an incredible series. Apart from probably today, it’s been a very evenly matched series and it’s been amazing to watch.

“There are far too many things happening away from the game that have taken the shine off.”

Du Plessis said he was pleased with how his side had stood up against the off-field controversy in the series so far.

“I feel that we as a team have been very calm under pressure,” he said.

“There have been times in the matches where we have handled it really well and got through some difficult times.

“Today (Sunday) the pressure was getting to them.”

The fourth and final Test of the series will start at the Wanderers on March 30.

CAPE TOWN – In the Western Cape, a drive to license all facilities housing more than four patients is underway, to ensure that provincial health departments are forced to up their efforts on oversight.

An estimated 2 million people in the province suffer from mental illness, but less than 30,000 are diagnosed or on treatment. The Life Esidimeni tragedy provided a stark reminder that unlicensed facilities that house patients suffering from mental illness can be dangerous, and can even lead to death.

WATCH: Moseneke’s Esidimeni ruling welcomed

The province has four major psychiatric hospitals, seventy regional hospitals and three tertiary hospitals which all provide some level of basic mental healthcare.

They are supported by hundreds of clinics and NGO facilities.

Dr Giovanni Perez of the Western Cape Metro District Health Services said, “Many of these non-profit organisations spring up without our knowledge or they exceed the number (of four patients) without our knowledge.

“The number of unlicensed non-profit organisations two weeks ago was 16, it’s now 26, and some are in the process of being licenced, so it is a moving target.”

WATCH: Health department not in crisis, says minister

But Khayelitsha councillor Banetsi Mphunga said that these government-funded NGO’s are needed in the townships.

“Until I have seen any NGO that is funded by the government, that is housing mental health patients, that has finished or exited the programme in the townships, the provincial government is failing. Because that’s where these institutions are needed,” Mphunga said.

READ: Medical claimants battle for payment from ECape health dept

Mphunga uses his car as a tool to market mental health facilities and as premises to counsel young patients, who he says often require referrals for more serious issues that arise out of trauma counselling.

“Anything that is beyond my scope of practice, it needs to be referred to other institutions or to private practitioners who are psychologists, psychiatrists. That will cost money and most of our people do not even access the service because they know they won’t afford it,” said Mphunga.

View the attached video where eNCA’s Pheladi Sethusa provides more detail on the challenges facing the mental health sector.

eNCA

EASTERN CAPE – The Eastern Cape Health Department is drowning in debt due to a mountain of medical claims for negligence.

WATCH: R1.2m in total for each of the Life Esidimeni claimants

Attorney Francis Bikitsha, who has been battling to get the department to settle a claim for her client spoke to eNCA about her frustrations.

Bikitsha said, “The department admitted liability in 2011.” 

But she said she had “been back and forth in the courts” ever since and still awaited finality.

*View the attached video for more on this story

eNCA