In 2016, 144 people with mental illness died in the care of the public health system in Gauteng – from neglect, starvation and torture. They died at the hands of those who were supposed to protect them. Even today, their family members grapple with the unimaginable loss of their loved ones.

A measure of justice has been achieved for this tragedy. Presided over by former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, families were awarded damages for the loss of their loved ones in the arbitration in 2021. And crucially, on 10 July 2024, Judge Mmonoa Teffo determined that former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and the then Mental Health Director Dr Makgabo Manamela can be held accountable for the deaths of some Life Esidimeni patients.

But the fight for true justice continues and understanding that the Life Esidimeni tragedy was not a faceless tragedy, writer Harriet Perlman and photographer Mark Lewis have documented the families’ loss and sorrow in a book to be released in mid-August.

The portraits and stories in Life Esidimeni: Portraits of Lives Lost are a testament to the human cost of this disaster. The book explores this heartbreaking event by offering a powerful narrative built on the stories of those most affected. But it is not merely a chronicle of loss: it is also a celebration of resilience and courage.

While the Life Esidimeni story is one of the worst human rights tragedies we have seen since 1994, it is also a story of great courage and tenacity. It shines a light on the tireless efforts of doctors, lawyers, human rights activists and organisations like SECTION27, SADAG and the Life Esidimeni Family Committee. These unsung heroes fought tirelessly to uncover the truth and seek justice. This story also demonstrates the power of people, to draw strength from one another, organise, fight back and hold government to account.

Join Koketso Moeti in conversation with Harriet Perlman (author), Christine Nxumalo (mental health activist and member of the Life Esidimeni Family Committee) and Sasha Stevenson (human rights lawyer and the Executive Director of SECTION27) as they explore the ongoing struggle for better mental healthcare in South Africa and the urgent need to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.

We need everyone in this country to see and hear this story. We must put it out there so people understand what happened, how it happened and why. Or will we just forget and learn nothing? I lost my sister in the tragedy and some mornings I still can’t get up. It’s the manner in which she died that makes it so hard to bear. We all just want answers. We must continue to speak out.

Christine Nxumalo, Life Esidimeni Family Committee

This is a harrowing account of the death, torture and disappearance of utterly vulnerable mental healthcare users in the care of an admittedly delinquent provincial government. It is also a story of the searing and public anguish of the families of the affected healthcare users and of the collective shock and pain of many other caring people in our land and elsewhere in the world.

Former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, Life Esidimeni Arbitration

Life Esidimeni - Portraits of Lives Lost