Parliament of South Africa and Gauteng Provincial Legislature: We call on you to urgently intervene as Esidimeni people perish

The Esidimeni Campaign is launched 10 October 2016, World Mental Health Day, in honour of all  persons with psychosocial disabilities  that have perished, been neglected, subject to torture and inhumane treatment by the closure of the Lifecare Esidimeni Homes by the South African Government and all other stakeholders'associated. As of this day, horrified and traumatized relatives and friends are mourning the deaths of 37 people.​The Gauteng Provincial Government, with no consultation, took a decision to cancell the contract with Life Esidimeni in 2015 citing cost constraints. Over 2000 residents were affected. Residents were moved from end of May, either back to their families and approximately 1300 were distributed to NGO's, some unregistered and some highly unsuitable. Despite warnings from the disability sector of the miserable fates that would result, despite  families of the residents protesting and pleading and despite court action, the Gauteng Minister of Health went ahead. Now 37 of these people are dead. This is the "Marikana" of the disability and mental health sector. It requires urgent action!​​

• We call for the immediate recognition that the residents of Esidimeni were the primary stakeholders in the process and that no effort was made to uphold their dignity and directly consult with them
• We call for the Gauteng Minister of Health to resign and acknowledge responsibility for her role in this unfolding tragedy
• We call on the Mental Health Directorate of Gauteng Province to resign and acknowledge responsibility for their role in this unfolding tragedy
• We call for immediate urgent intervention by all relevant arms of Government  so that further loss of life is prevented and the situation of these persons is treated as a Provincial disaster
• We call on the Parliamentary Committee for Justice and Corrections call the SAHRC to present what action they took to prevent these gross human rights violations and explain what strategy have put in place to monitor the lives of all people with psychosocial disabilities, especially those made extremely vulnerable by institutionalization.
• We call on Lifecare, a profitable JSE Company that benefitted for in excess of 20 years from a public-private Government tender, to come before Parliament and explain what steps they took to prevent this tragedy
• We call for the Health Ombudsman to speedily complete his investigation
• We call for cooperation from the Police Services in ensuring that where appropriate charges of abuse, neglect or manslaughter are laid, these are timeously investigated and those responsible are charged and prosecuted.
• We call for a public Parliamentary hearing and investigation into the right to dignity and CRPD compliance of the Mental Health Care System in SA.