Nono Moditse and her brother Kevin Ratsotso with their late brother Charity

STILL A HUMAN BEING

Kevin Ratsoto dreamt that he was with his brother Charity Ratsotso. They were drinking their favourite drink and God spoke to him. The dream brought Kevin some peace because he believes his brother is now safe. But he stills wants those responsible for his death to be held accountable.

Charity was Kevin and Nono’s older brother. He was the oldest of four and from a young age had suffered severe mental illness. He had been at the Life Esidimeni facility in Waverley for 10 years and was moved to Cullinan Care and Rehabilitation Centre in April 2015.

‘The last time we saw him was on 16 June 2016,’ says Nono. ‘He was fine and you could see that he was eating healthy and taking his medication.’

In September that same year, she called to check up on her brother. She had heard rumours that people were being moved. She spoke to the centre’s social worker, Daphne Ndhlovu, who told Nono that she had just been with Charity and he was fine.

But it wasn’t true. They were to find out later that Charity had been dead for two months already. She had lied. He had died on 11 July. They discovered he had been moved to Anchor NGO and then transferred to Mamelodi Hospital. And that was where he passed away.

‘We were told that his body was kept at Mamelodi mortuary,’ Kevin says. Nono, her mother, uncle and brother Kevin had to go and identify the body. ‘His body was decomposed and he had no eyes. There was a hole on his chest and marks on his wrists as if he had been tied up,’ she says.

Nono wants answers. ‘They must come and explain to us what happened to my brother because he was also a human being.’