DA in Gauteng says the planned transfer of 172 psychiatric patients raises serious concerns about facility readiness, family consultation, and patient safety, warning of risks similar to the Life Esidimeni disaster.
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The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) says no mental health patients have been moved from the Talisman Foundation in southern Johannesburg.
The Department was responding to concerns raised by the Democratic Alliance (DA) over a planned relocation of 172 psychiatric patients.
The Talisman Foundation received an eviction notice from a church that owns the property, instructing the organisation to vacate the premises by 14 May 2026.
The Health Department said the matter is under consideration.
"No patients have been moved from Talisman Foundation,” and any relocation process would only proceed after full engagement with families and caregivers.
They described the DA statement as misleading, adding that they were working closely with the Foundation to find a solution.
The GDoH said consultations would be held with families to agree on the way forward, adding that “should relocation become necessary, it will be conducted in full compliance with all legislative and clinical protocols, including consultation with patients' families and caregivers”.
It further said a “structured, phased and clinically supervised process will be followed to safeguard the well-being of all mental health care users” and reiterated its commitment to transparency and continued engagement with stakeholders.
The department said provincial authorities were exploring alternative ways to assist the Talisman Foundation and urged cooperation from affected families during ongoing discussions.
The DA warns that the move raises parallels with the Life Esidimeni tragedy.
The concerns follow renewed scrutiny of psychiatric care in Gauteng after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed it will prosecute those responsible for the Life Esidimeni deaths.
More than a decade after the tragedy, the NPA said it will proceed with charges, including culpable homicide, in relation to the deaths of at least 141 psychiatric patients who were moved between 2015 and 2016 after the Gauteng health department terminated its contract with Life Esidimeni in a cost-cutting exercise and transferred more than 1,700 patients to unlicensed NGOs.
The party said vulnerable psychiatric patients are expected to be moved from the facility by mid-May after the landlord issued notice, but cautioned that there were warning signs about the process followed and the adequacy of alternative placements.
It said there was a lack of transparency about where the patients would be moved, uncertainty about whether receiving facilities were ready and suitable, and concern that families and caregivers had not been properly consulted.
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health Dr Jack Bloom said, “It is deeply worrying if decisions are primarily driven by administrative or financial considerations rather than clinical best practice and patient welfare.”
Bloom warned that the situation could not be viewed outside the context of past failures in the province’s mental health system.
“We cannot ignore the painful lessons of Esidimeni, where 144 patients died after being transferred to unlicensed and ill-equipped NGOs in a reckless cost-cutting exercise,'' he said.
He stressed that any relocation of psychiatric patients must be handled with strict safeguards.
Bloom said, “Any relocation of mental health patients must be done with full transparency, proper clinical oversight, meaningful family consultation, and strict adherence to legal and ethical standards.”
He further warned that failure to follow proper procedures could have serious consequences, saying it risks “repeating one of the worst human rights tragedies in our democratic history.”
The DA said it would closely monitor the situation and would demand full accountability from the Gauteng Department of Health to ensure that patient safety is not compromised.
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