The families of the victims of the Life Esidimeni tragedy, members of the disability sector, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, public interest law centre SECTION27, and others, will on Tuesday morning stage a picket, calling for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to pursue criminal charges against former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and former Director of Mental Health in Gauteng Dr Makgabo Manamela for their negligence in the matter.

The group will meet at Church Square in Pretoria to hand over a memorandum to the NPA.

SECTION27 said despite a historic court judgment that indicated government officials should be held personally criminally accountable for their roles in the tragedy, the NPA has not yet pursued criminal charges against those implicated, including Mahlangu and Manamela.

In July, Judge Mmonoa Teffo ruled that the deaths of Virginia Machpelah, Deborah Phehla, Frans Dekker, Charity Ratsotso, Koketso Mogoerane, Terrence Chaba, Daniel Josiah, Matlakala Motsoahae, and Lucky Maseko were unnatural.

Teffo found that Mahlangu and Manamela caused these deaths, which were among the 144 deaths resulting from the Life Esidimeni disaster.

“Judge Teffo stated that Ms Mahlangu negligently terminated the Life Esidimeni contract despite expert advice and warnings, resulting in the relocation of mental healthcare users to non-governmental organisations that were ill-equipped and lacking in experience to provide adequate care. Dr Manamela implemented the plan to move mental health care users to dangerous conditions when she knew the risks of doing so,” SECTION27 explained.

Teffo stated this conduct led to deaths that could have been avoided.

The group pointed out that the families had endured a painful eight-year wait for justice. The picket takes place at the end of Mental Health Awareness month.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) also committed to push for criminal charges to be laid as soon as possible,  added DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom.

He stated that there had been "too much delay" in charging culpable people since Teffo gave the inquest findings.

“They should surely be charged with culpable homicide, and other charges should be laid against all those who can be identified in causing the suffering of the Esidimeni patients. These include contraventions of the Mental Health Care Act and the National Health Act, as well as fraud in licensing the NGOs and other matters,” he said.