The much-anticipated testimony by former Gauteng premier David Makhura took place on Wednesday where he vehemently denied having been part of the decision to terminate the Life Esidimeni contract that resulted in the deaths of 144 mental healthcare users.

At the Life Esidimeni inquest on Wednesday, advocate William Mokhare put it to former Gauteng premier David Makhura that former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu had told the inquest the decision to cancel the Life Esidimeni contract came from the Premier's Budget Council (PBC).

"The PBC would be in no position to make a decision over a contract ... it would completely be unlawful," Makhura retorted.

Makhura told the inquest he became aware that patients had died following the contract's termination when Mahlangu announced it in the provincial legislature in 2016. At a subsequent meeting with the former MEC and department officials, he asked officials how and why patients were dying at NGOs.

According to Makhura, the officials said the deaths "are normal" and this shocked him. "I asked the MEC: 'Why do you bring such a big delegation?' She answered that these are the people that can answer my questions."

He said after he was initially told that 36 patients had died, the number kept changing and it was clear that more than 36 had died.

Representing SECTION27 and the patients who died after being transferred from Life Esidimeni, a private healthcare provider, to NGOs, advocate Adila Hassim asked...