OPINION - The news that justice is closer for the families of Life Esidimeni victims is welcome (December 12).
However, it looks as if there will be no justice for the families of the cancer victims (probably a far larger number) who died needlessly because cancer machines at Addington were not serviced.
The cause of these deaths is corruption in the Health Department, for which no one has been held accountable. We do not know what happened to the millions of rand allocated for servicing when the machines were acquired. We do know, from a KZN Treasury forensic report, that millions were spent on an illegal procurement deal with a company that was not, in law, allowed to service the machines (and succeeded in damaging one beyond repair, necessitating the purchase at huge cost of a new one.
We also know that three senior management members broke not only Treasury regulations but the Public Finance Management Act, and no criminal charges were opened, as is mandatory. We also know (confirmed by KZN Treasury) that Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo was aware of this corruption and was thus obliged, in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act to open a case.
Members of the provincial executive refuse to confirm whether a case was opened. If it was not, Dhlomo is guilty of breaking the law.
Having had direct interaction with some of those who would probably have lived if they had received timeous treatment, and even intervened to arrange additional pain medication for them, I know how much they suffered.
Corruption is bad enough, but when it kills, and the law is broken with impunity, all complicit political heads should roll.