Family demands justice after second death at KZN rehab bootcamp

Mkhasibe’s father, Nhlanhla Mkhasibe, said his son was admitted to the facility on June 24.

“We paid R10 000 to get him help. We were shocked when we were told he had died,” he said.

Mkhasibe said his son had been addicted to dagga and lean, a concoction typically made by mixing codeine- and promethazine-containing cough syrup with a soft drink.

He said Unathi had not developed habits such as stealing or become violent, but the family decided to seek professional help after seeing the effect of his addiction.

A relative had previously been admitted to a rehabilitation centre and had benefited from the treatment, although he later relapsed.

“We too had hope that our child would be helped. We are deeply saddened by how things turned out. We didn’t know that we were paying so much money only to have our child die,” said Mkhasibe.

He said the family was devastated to discover that Unathi was not the first person to die at the facility.

“What happened to us is no different from hiring a hitman to kill someone,” he said.

“When I read about the death of the first person, I silently said to myself it would have been better if we had seen this story before. We wouldn’t have sent our child to this place.”

Mkhasibe said the family received a message from the facility’s founder indicating that something had gone wrong and urging them to get to the facility as soon as possible.

The family cancelled a planned trip and travelled to Richmond.

“When we arrived, we came across a mortuary van. Because I was suspicious, I stopped the van and asked whose body they were carrying. They told me to state my child’s name, and then they confirmed it was him,” he said.

Mkhasibe said that when he asked what had happened, he was referred to police officers at the scene.

He said police then referred him to the facility’s owner, who allegedly gave an unclear explanation and told him that Unathi had died in mud while exercising with other patients.

“He said he had recently tried to escape and was punished,” said Mkhasibe.

The explanation puzzled the family because they had recently contacted the facility to speak to Unathi but were allegedly denied the opportunity to see him. They were also not told that he had supposedly attempted to escape.

Mkhasibe said the family noticed bruises on Unathi’s body, a swollen eye and swelling to his skull.

He said the initial postmortem report did not provide a clear explanation for the death and indicated that further police investigation was required because the bruises found on the body were not considered sufficient to explain the fatality.

The family has since enlisted a private doctor to conduct a further examination and is awaiting the findings.

“He had become so underweight, whereas he had been bulky. In our assessment, he had suffered from hunger and would have succumbed to death easily because he was weak,” said Mkhasibe.

He said the family wanted justice for their son and questioned whether the facility employed people with the necessary training to care for patients undergoing rehabilitation.

“I now doubt that they have hired suitable people who were trained for this kind of work, which makes it difficult for them to see signs when someone is too weak and stop these exercises. I also think that they are extreme with their punishments and even deprive them of food,” he said.

Mkhasibe warned other parents against sending their children to the facility.

He said the family had believed they were paying for their son to receive help, only to lose him under circumstances they believe require urgent investigation.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Richmond police had arrested two suspects, aged 19 and 32, in connection with the death of the 25-year-old man.

Netshiunda said police were informed that the deceased had experienced difficulty breathing before dying at a camp in Richmond on July 25.

“The case was not enrolled in court, and the suspects were released pending postmortem results,” said Netshiunda.

He said the deceased had bruises that were consistent with assault.

The bootcamp did not respond to requests for comment and had not issued a public statement on Mkhasibe’s death at the time of publication.

Yesterday, Thuba Vilane, the spokesperson of  KwaZulu-Natal DSD said the department supported all efforts to establish the full facts surrounding this matter and welcomes the ongoing involvement of the police and other competent authorities.

“The department will urgently establish whether the facility in question is registered with the relevant authorities and whether it is operating in compliance with applicable legislation, as well as prescribed norms and standards. Should any violations be identified, appropriate action will be taken in accordance with the law,” said Vilane.

The latest death has raised renewed questions about the conditions at the facility.

In January, former patients described what they alleged were inhumane living and treatment conditions at the bootcamp.

They claimed patients were woken at about 4am and forced to perform up to 1 000 push-ups. Those who failed to complete the exercises were allegedly assaulted.

Former patients also alleged that meals were inadequate, consisting of plain white porridge for breakfast, a boiled egg dipped in salt for lunch and two chicken feet for supper.