‘My son died a lonely death’ — Shonisani Lethole’s mother

The Ombudsman found gross negligence led to Lethole’s death at Tembisa hospital on 29 June 2020.

The Lethole family, with the Twala, Swartbooi, Singwayo, Ncube and Mnguni families, read out their statements detailing the suffering their loved ones had experienced at the hands of Tembisa hospital staff.

Patricia Lethole, Shonisani Lethole’s mother, began her statement saying, “Shonisani is our son, it is very difficult to use the past tense”.

She said that seven months since her son’s death had been “traumatising” and that the family was undergoing counselling. Not knowing what happened to her son had been difficult.

Lethole said that the family wanted to express its gratitude for the “swift” but “thorough” investigation and report conducted by the Health Ombudsman, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba. 

She said that what had happened to her son at Tembisa hospital was very disturbing: “My son died a lonely death without the basic care that we should be able to expect in our healthcare facilities.”

Lethole took those at the briefing through the ordeal her son went through from when he arrived gravely ill at Tembisa hospital on 23 June, to his death on 29 June, including the fact that doctors had neglected to review the tests he underwent on admission in order to administer the needed treatment.

She said that what the Ombudsman’ report had revealed was that Tembisa hospital was not a suitable facility for responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. With regard to the issue of keeping medical records, the report showed that this was not the first time the issue had been raised and that unions had also voiced concern before Lethole’s death.

Lethole said she was shocked at the vague and ambiguous conduct of the hospital’s senior officials, saying: “I was so surprised to see how a hospital can be an enemy of truth.” She said her son’s death had shown that all staff in health institutions needed to be trained to behave with “ethical courage” and “ethical leadership”. Lethole pledged to stand with those who had suffered because of negligence at Tembisa hospital. 

“It’s not about Shoni now. It’s about his legacy and saving others’ lives” Lethole said.

Nicole Ncube (19) was in tears as she read her statement detailing the ordeal her late mother had endured at Tembisa hospital. 

“When we found out that my mother was no more I knew that there was more to what they were telling us because it did not make sense. My mother kept on informing me that she had been sitting on the wheelchair since she went to the hospital (24th-27th) with no food, no water and they were not allowed to go to the bathrooms.”

“After the pain of not being able to send her off in a proper way, we were still lied to and told that her test results were negative, and we were told more lies on top of that.”

An emotional Ncube said that she was now an orphan because staff at Tembisa hospital had neglected her mother.

Speaking at the briefing, #FixTembisaHospitalNow campaigner Khwezi Mabasa stressed that the campaign was about addressing the systemic failures of the health system and refuting the claim that these were isolated incidents. He said that an important demand of the campaign was that officials publicly acknowledge the pain and suffering of all who’d had a family member die from substandard care at the hospital.

Also in attendance at the briefing was bishop Sakhele Makhubo from the Tembisa Transformation Forum. Makhubo expressed shock at the conditions patients were forced to endure in public hospitals and clinics, saying that “heads must roll”. “We can’t afford to have a hospital that is an embarrassment, a laughing stock and a slaughterhouse,” said Makhubo.

Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) chairperson Sibongile Tshabalala said that what had happened at Tembisa hospital was not new. The issue of overcrowding, missing files, patient confidentiality and staff attitudes was something the TAC had been dealing with for a long time. Tshabalala said it was sad people had to die before action was taken.

After the families’ media briefing, the Gauteng Department of Health issued a statement saying it would not take the Ombudsman’s report on review. This was despite CEO of Tembisa hospital Dr Lekopane Mogaladi saying he would challenge the report. 

“The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) wishes to make it clear that the department has not expressed any intention to challenge the report by the Health Ombuds into the circumstances surrounding the care and death of Mr Shonisani Lethole at Tembisa Hospital.

“The Department, and by extension its facilities which includes Tembisa Hospital, remains committed to implementing the recommendations of the report within the prescripts of the law, once the department has concluded studying the report and its findings. Those who have expressed intention to challenge the report will be doing so in their individual capacities. The MEC for Health in Gauteng has already pronounced on the approach of the department as it relates to the report,” said the statement. DM/MC

The media briefing and family statements can be viewed here.

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