ANC only acting on Qedani Mahlangu after public outcry

by Jack Bloom MPL – DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC

I am astonished by the admission today by Trevor Fowler, the new Chairperson of the ANC’s Integrity Committee in Gauteng, that Qedani Mahlangu’s case had not previously been referred to this body for consideration.

This contradicts a statement by previous ANC provincial secretary Hope Papo in February last year that she had to explain to the Integrity Committee what happened concerning the deaths of 144 Esidimeni patients.

He was quoted as saying: “She was our deployee. She must explain to the commission what happened on the matter, and we will get a report from the integrity commission.”

But nothing happened and Mahlangu remained on the ANC’s Provincial Executive Committee.

It was only after the public outcry following her recent re-election to the PEC that the ANC is taking this matter more seriously because it is worried about losing votes in the next election.

Fowler says in an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper that due process will be followed by the Integrity Committee concerning her role in the Esidimeni tragedy.

But why has it taken more than 18 months for this to happen?

The truth is that Mahlangu has always been protected by the ANC, starting with Premier David Makhura’s failure to fire her immediately the Esidimeni deaths became known after she replied to my questions in the Legislature.

She only resigned after the devastating findings of the Health Ombudsman’s report, but was originally not on the state’s list of witnesses to appear before the Esidimeni arbitration hearings.

The ANC gave her permission to study abroad while the hearings were in progress, and public pressure was needed to force her to testify.

Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa hugged Qedani Mahlangu at an ANC march in Soweto, and said she was “still a comrade”

This shows the depth of the moral rot in the ANC, which is only concerned about remaining in power and protecting its own, regardless of the harm done to helpless people.