Only R6.5 million (5%) of the R120 million budget for compensation to Life Esidimeni victims and their families has been paid out so far this year, and 81 verified claimants have not been paid at all.
This was revealed last week on Thursday in a presentation by the Premier’s Office at a meeting of the Gauteng Legislature’s Oversight Committee on the Premier’s Office and Legislature (OCPOL).
According to the Premier’s Office, the underspending is due to lockdown restrictions which resulted in delays in the verification process of claimants.
There were 451 claims received, of which 352 were verified, but 81 of these claimants have still not been paid.
Gauteng Director-General Phindile Baleni says that the remainder of the R120 million budget will be spent in December and January when the trust is set up by the Master of the Court for the 50% of the payout that is earmarked for the patients. The other 50% is supposed to go to the families of the patients.
A complicating factor is that aggrieved family members are going to court next week to ensure that their own lawyers administer the trust as they mistrust the lawyers that the provincial government will appoint.
It’s a sad situation that there are still unresolved compensation issues in this tragic matter in which so many people suffered because of government neglect.
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