Workers who care for 84 profoundly disabled people at Durban and Coastal Mental Health’s (DCMH) Jona Vaughan residential facility are back at work after the parents' association “begged them” and raised money for their transport costs.

The 40 staff members, who physically care for the residents and provide them with their daily meals, did not arrive at work last week because they had not been paid since September. They were told it was unlikely they would be paid in November.

The Jona Vaughan Parents' Association immediately contacted volunteers to assist, but treasurer Charmaine Maas said it was a crisis.

“It was heartbreaking. While people assisted with feeding them, we had to leave most of them in their beds with the rails up for two days. It was very cruel,” she said.

“My own sister (a resident), sat in her wheelchair in the foyer, sobbing. She missed the carers and there was no-one in the dining room and no-one to feed them.”

Maas said the association and guardians of the carers had earlier written to DCMH and the provincial department of health warning that the staff would walk out if they were not paid.

Maas alleged one senior official referred to residents as “commodities”.

She said the workers were also in tears. They had no money to feed their own families or pay school fees. She said they were providing them with food hampers and giving them leftovers if possible, on top of the donations of R900 each. DCMH was also going to contribute R100 a day towards transport.

DCMH blamed the department for cutting off subsidies.

Board chair Sthandiwe Mkhize told TimesLIVE: “I've been reaching out to the department for renewed service-level agreements. I'm still awaiting a response.

“Almost 50% of the service users at Jona Vaughn were abandoned by their families. They have nowhere to go.

“Without the financial support of  the department, it becomes an impossible task to look after residents.

“We've done everything in our power to improve the conditions of our service users but the lack of funding worsens the situation.”

He declined to answer questions about the salaries earned by senior management and if they had taken a pay cut.

Last month, senior managers reportedly “fled'' the head office in Sherwood after some staff members staged a protest.

A letter written by the department to DCMH indicates, for the first time, that it is concerned about mismanagement of funds.

TimesLIVE has previously reported on a report compiled by an investigations team appointed by the provincial department of health which found that DCMH’s board had been “captured” when it was taken over in 2019.

The report said the organisation had allegedly been “brought to its knees” under the chairmanship of a disbarred attorney, Sipho Shezi — who has since left — incurring debt of more than R18m in just two years.

It noted a revolving door of service providers, some appointed under questionable circumstances. It recommended that the NPO be urgently placed under the supervision of an administrator and that disciplinary steps be taken and criminal charges be laid against those responsible.

The department has consistently refused to answer questions from TimesLIVE on the status of the report — which was handed over in September — and what steps it intends taking those named as wrongdoers.

Now, in a letter to DCMH CEO Victor Mthiyane, head of department Dr Sandile Tshabalala tells him: “You are well aware that the [department] commissioned an investigation on allegations of misconduct, including mismanagement of funds ... The report has been submitted to the department for consideration.”

Tshabalala says grant funding would now be extended month to month — pending a decision on its findings — until the end of March next year.

Last month, a resident at the Phoenix Residential Centre died, allegedly after being given expired donated food. Sources told TimesLIVE that the pantry and fridges at the Austerville residential centre in Wentworth were empty.

TimesLIVE