- Makgabo Manamela continued her testimony at the Life Esidimeni inquest.
- Her lawyers asked that she be provided with a Sepedi interpreter.
- Manamela said that, when officials did post-placement assessments, they started seeing problems at NGOs.
Makgabo Manamela, the former head of mental health at the Gauteng health department, said non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were told to make financial provisions because they would only be paid at least three months into their contracts.
Manamela said that, before moving patients from Life Esidimeni to NGOs, they informed new facilities about the financial arrangements.
"The old NGOs knew about that and planned beforehand. The new ones were made aware of how the payment, in the first one or two months, would happen."
But, she said, NGOs still faced financial and other issues.
For instance, at Tshepong, nurses and other staff members resigned after not receiving their salaries.
"They also did not have enough medication. I asked Weskoppies for medication to help them."
The NGO had struggled with food supply, so Manamela wrote a letter which it could present to nearby shops to buy food on credit, and the department would pay later. The same thing was done for clothing supply, she said.
Manamela has been on the stand at the Life Esidimeni inquest since Monday.
During Wednesday's proceedings, her lawyer, Ndivhoniswani Makhani, asked that Manamela be provided with a Sepedi interpreter as she would be more comfortable and could better express herself.
Judge Mmonnoa Teffo asked Manamela if she needed one.
She said: "No, my lady, I think I have been doing well."
But, after issues of clarity were raised regarding some of her answers, an interpreter was called in.
Manamela said that, when the department did post-placement assessments, they started realising problems at NGOs.
"We realised that some NGOs, where they are located, they struggled with some resources. The other problem was the medication problems. Instead of the NGO receiving 28 days of medication, some received only seven days of medication."
She wrote to Life Esidimeni to ask why 28 days of medication had not been provided as per the service agreement.
Manamela said NGOs in unsuitable accommodation were also informed to improve, or the department would take the patients back.
She said NGOs, like Precious Angels, looked at alternative accommodation in Lynnwood.
The inquest continues at the Gauteng High Court sitting in Pretoria.
It aims to determine whether anyone can be held criminally liable for the deaths of 140 patients who were moved from Life Esidimeni to NGOs.