As the Tetelestai Recovery Centre (TRC) denied allegations that it receives government funding for its rehabilitation patients, the KZN Department of Social Development (DSD) explained the reasons behind its decision to cancel the facility’s registration.

South Coast Sun reports this comes after private investigator Brad Nathanson announced on October 1 that DSD had cancelled TRC’s registration and claimed that addicts referred to the centre by the courts have their rehabilitation paid for by the state.

TRC managing director Donovan de Klerk said the state has never paid anything for sectioning patients to the centre.

“If the state paid me for having people on court orders, I would go and fetch every person begging on the streets and put them on a paid court order immediately,” said De Klerk.

TRC’s attorney, Wesley Rogers, confirmed that an admitted patient pays the centre directly.

“If the patient cannot afford a private rehab, the state will commit them to a state rehab, not a private one, at no cost to the patient. So Nathanson’s submission in this regard is unfortunately misleading and incorrect,” said Rogers.

Department cites serious contraventions

KZN DSD acting director for communication services and stakeholder management Thandeka Dlamini said the decision to cancel TRC’s registration follows an investigation instituted by the department after the deaths of two in-patients.

“The investigation revealed serious contraventions of the conditions attached to the centre’s registration and violations of its mandate as an in-patient treatment facility. The department found multiple instances of non-compliance with the regulatory framework governing substance abuse treatment centres,” said Dlamini.

Investigation and possible appeal

Nathanson is investigating the death of Luke Edwards, a TRC patient who discharged himself from the facility in April and was found nearby the following morning, killed.

TRC has recently said it will appeal the cancellation and is prepared to take the matter to the High Court if necessary. It said that since the registration was granted, nothing had changed at the centre to justify its cancellation.

Welcoming the decision, the MEC for KZN DSD, Mbali Shinga, said the cancellation sends a clear and strong message to all service providers that the department will not hesitate to act decisively when the rights and lives of vulnerable people are at risk.

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