South Africa: What Life Esidimeni and Gauteng’s late payment of nonprofits have in common

The Life Esidimeni tragedy — in which more than 140 state mental health patients died and an inquest found on 10 July that the negligence of high-ranking provincial health department officials was to blame in at least nine cases — makes it clear why decision-makers must be held responsible for harm stemming from poor administration decisions.

And, sadly, the way in which the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDoSD) has treated nonprofits this year — which essentially do the…