The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says through its preliminary investigations, it has uncovered systemic human rights violations at the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital and the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberley.

The investigation was prompted by a report from the Health Ombudsman, which revealed alarming systemic failures at both facilities. The report discovered that patients suffered from severe hypothermia due to extended power outages caused by cable theft and vandalism.

The report details how patient deaths were linked to freezing conditions, staff shortages, and gross mismanagement. SAHRC Provincial Manager, Uzair Adams explains, “We found that there was an underutilisation of commissioned bed capacity. So the facility had been operating at 53% bed capacity, of 287 beds only 153 were in use. We had also found that there was severe infrastructural decay, including ceilings, peeling walls and unkempt surroundings which would compromise safety. The persistent electricity supply failures and power outages contributed to the condition of the facility.”

Meanwhile, Adams says one might expect the country to have learned from past scandals, such as Life Esidimeni. He says the ongoing lack of progress in enhancing mental healthcare services is indicative not only of institutional failures, but also of a wider societal neglect of the rights and dignity of mental health care users.

“One would see that this is further perpetuated by the stigma associated with mental health conditions. And so to really improve services for mental health care users, the right approach must be at the center of all interventions. This means that recognising the people with mental illnesses are not merely passive recipients of care but they are also rights holders. And the state certainly has both the legal and the moral obligation to protect, respect and fulfil these rights.”

NC Health Dept welcomes ombud’s findings: