Life Esidimeni inquest: Jacobus denies that her conduct was reckless
Hannah Jacobus - the sixth witness called to testify - oversaw the disastrous relocation of more than 140 psychiatric patients to illegal facilities in 2016.
Hannah Jacobus, the sixth witness at the Life Esidimeni, oversaw the relocation of more than 100 psychiatric patients to illegal facilities in 2016. Picture: Section27
CAPE TOWN - Friday marks day five of the Life Esidimeni inquest into the deaths of 144 psychiatric patients moved to NGOs.
The inquest is being heard at the Pretoria High Court.
On Thursday, Advocate Phyllis Vorster wrapped up her cross-examination of former senior Gauteng Health department official, Hannah Jacobus.
Jacobus - the sixth witness called to testify - oversaw the disastrous relocation of more than 140 psychiatric patients to illegal facilities in 2016.
Vorster is acting pro-bono on behalf of the families of four patients who died in the Life Esidimeni tragedy.
The court has heard that at the end of the inquest that Vorster will argue that Jacobus's conduct was an important contributing factor to the blatant and intentional neglect of the mental healthcare patients.
"I will also put it to you Mrs Jacobus that our argument will be your conduct was reckless, that you knew that the care was inadequate, that the care was not there that was necessary to care for these medical healthcare users and that your actions contributed in the failure of this proper care," Vorster said.
"And I will argue that you did this wilfully, that you knew what was going on," continued Advocate Vorster.
Jacobus has disagreed with these statements.
"No council I did not," she said.
Jacobus earlier admitted that conditions at NGOs that received patients from Life Esidimeni failed to meet the basic requirements for an organisation to care for mental healthcare users and that the licencing process for these organisations was flawed.