‘They Told Us He Was AttackedThe Autopsy Showed Bullets’: Family Sues Health MEC Over Patient’s Death

For months, the family of Klaas Ledwaba was told a horrifying story: their 45-year-old relative, a psychiatric patient at Philadelphia Hospital in Dennilton, Limpopo, had been violently attacked by another patient during a psychotic episode. The alleged assault, they were informed, involved genital mutilation and resulted in his death .

Then the postmortem arrived.

Ledwaba died not from an assault, but from multiple gunshot wounds, including fatal injuries to the head . The finding has shattered the family’s trust in the official narrative and prompted a lawsuit against the provincial Health MEC.

What Actually Happened?

According to accounts that have since emerged, the incident unfolded when a psychiatric patient began experiencing a psychotic episode and started attacking those around him . A security officer attempted to defuse the situation and allegedly shot Ledwaba in both legs .

Another security officer sustained gunshot wounds, believed to be from a ricochet of a bullet fired by a fellow officer .

The family, however, says they were never given this version of events by authorities. Instead, senior officials, including representatives of the Limpopo Department of Health, reportedly told them Ledwaba had died in a violent patient-on-patient attack .

The Postmortem That Changed Everything

The family’s lawyers, Hlayisani Ngobeni Attorneys, refer to the postmortem report as “incontrovertible forensic evidence” that contradicts the initial narrative .

Family spokesperson Seun Mogotji said Ledwaba’s body was identified by relatives on 10 March 2025, and his organs were intactdirectly contradicting claims of mutilation .

“Despite this incontrovertible forensic evidence, the MEC has failed to publicly correct the false version of events or to provide a coherent explanation for how such grave misinformation was released in the first place,” Mogotji said .

Legal Action

The family first served a formal letter of demand on Health MEC Masesi Mashego, but received no response within the stipulated timeframe .

“Consequently, summons have now been issued in the high court. We are awaiting the allocation of a case number,” said attorney Kamogelo Maphanga .

Once a case number is assigned, the family intends to formally serve both the MEC and the private security company contracted at the time of the incident .

The matter was also referred to the health ombud’s office, which subsequently directed it back to the provincial department .

Broader Concerns

The case raises serious questions about patient safety in public health facilities, particularly the use of live ammunition inside a healthcare setting .

The family has also raised concerns about the broader management of patient safety and the accuracy of information provided to grieving families .

Provincial health department spokesperson Neil Shikwambana had not replied to questions by the time of publication .

The Fight for Truth

For the Ledwaba family, the court action is about more than damages. It is about establishing the truth of what happened to Klaas, and ensuring that no other family is given a false narrative about the death of a loved one .

The case now moves to the Limpopo High Court. The MEC, the security company, and the department will have to answer for the shootingand for the story they told while Klaas’s body lay in the mortuary with bullets inside.

{Source: citizen.co.za}

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