The North West health department has appointed a nine-member investigation team to probe the death of a patient at the Witrand Psychiatric Hospital in Potchefstroom.
The patient’s family opened criminal cases after investigations showed that the deceased was severely neglected and sexually assaulted.
The deceased’s sister, Colette du Plessis, says after seeing her 40-year-old brother’s bruised and battered body, she demanded answers from the hospital’s management.
“They told me that Quinton is cold, all his vitals are low. I pulled the blankets from Quinton and I saw all the bruises. I took pictures. After seeing all those bruises I asked them to do a rape kit on Quinton, which came back positive and it was fresh, not even seven days old. After I saw Quinton that Wednesday, I went to Witrand Hospital and showed them all the pictures. I asked them for answers. Instead, they took notes and asked me to keep quiet for 25 days and they’ll investigate,” says du Plessis.
The department’s spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane says they’ve appointed a nine-member team to investigate the incident.
“We understand, of course, that the South African Police Services are also investigating. So, we respect that. And we are also calling on the communities and other patients, our employees, to give the investigation time. The MEC has directed the investigating team led by a seasoned clinician to ensure that by the 1st of August a full report is given to him,” says Lekgethwane.
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