Serenity Haven: Criminal charges to follow

The Directorate Enforcing Older Persons Rights (DEOPR) was instrumental in the closing down of Serenity Haven Frail Care Centre and the removal of its surviving patients to a safe facility.

The Roodepoort Record spoke to DEOPR CEO Hennie Els, who shared highlights from the initial report following his inspection of the haven, which reveals wide-ranging infractions and contraventions of the Older Persons Act 13 of 2006.

“We received a complaint on May 19, alleging that older persons residing at Serenity Haven Frail Care Centre were exposed to various forms of abuse, including physical abuse and neglect, and were receiving food that was not fit for human consumption.

“Allegations included that residents are cared for by unregistered, incompetent staff. There was also claims that a resident was sexually molested and or raped at the centre in December 2024.

“I immediately contacted the Gauteng Department of Social Development, which confirmed that they’ve been in contact with said centre since 2023 regarding its registration and compliance.

Also read: Frail care centre closed amid abuse allegations

“An information gathering visit was arranged for May 21, where we, together with a suitably registered social worker and officials from the Department of Social Development, conducted an in-depth inspection as well as interviews with George Mouton [the owner], his staff members, and patients.”

Els adds that, in terms of the Act, any reported claim pertaining to older persons must be investigated and actioned within 48 hours.

“We explained to Mouton what we were there to do, and also made clear what is expected of us and him as the owner of the centre, according to the Act.”

The investigation uncovered the following:

• In one of the rooms, an elderly woman was found to have passed away. Nobody could confirm the time of death or the cause of death. It was noted that there were traces of vomit on her dress, meaning she could have choked. Her family was informed, and she was removed from the funeral services. No proper caring records or indication that she was attended by any professional and or registered caregiver was found. On inspection of her record, a medical card for the Discovery Health Centre was discovered. She was scheduled for a visit on April 3, but there was no record that she had attended
• While Serenity Haven is a registered non-profit organisation, it has no Certificate of Acceptability for food premises in terms of the Regulations Governing General Hygiene requirements for food premises and the transport of food
• No endorsement or exemption in terms of Regulation 14(1) or restrictions in terms of Regulation 3(1)(b) as determined by Environmental Health Practitioner
• No Public Health Permit for accommodation and establishments in terms of Chapter 10 of the Public Health by-laws of the City of Johannesburg (Local Authority Notice 830 of 2004)
• No Registration of employees by the Department of Labour
• No Certificate of Compliance (Emergency Exits, Fire Fighting Equipment and/ or service installations) in terms of Sections 13 and 16 of the Emergency Services by-laws for the City of Johannesburg
• No Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act no 85 of 1993) displayed
• No certification of Conformity for Gas Installations, OHSA Act 1993, Regulation 17(3) of the Pressure Equipment Regulations, 2009
• No registration certificate in terms of section 18(3) of the Residential Facility in terms of the Older Persons Act 13 of 2006 issued by the Department of Social Development
• No copy or record of Application for Registration as a Residential Facility (Form 9) in terms of the Older Persons Act 2006
• No CIPRO Documents
• No audited financial statements, and it is clear that the income was used and abused for personal enrichment
• No Constitution for the Organisation or Articles of Association
• No National Compliance letter stating the status of NPO
• No details of any board members, although the self-proclaimed owner claimed that there are directors and board members
• No other emergency certificates
• No building plans
• No proper house rules
• No admission policy, and the existing residential files contain very little information
• No list of staff composition. It is believed that all staff were dismissed in December 2024 and that they are making use of ‘student’ caregivers, which poses a serious risk to the older persons
• No trained or competent staff who could take care of the older persons
• No standard forms or records indicating feeding, bathing, operational procedure, nursing process chart, incident report forms, hospital referral letter, daily procedures, blood pressure charts, oxygen usage chart, doctor visits record, record of medication administered, diabetic chart, nappy change register, daily work allocation list, turn chart, laundry form, day/ night nursing report, Intake and output mouth care, and no standard contract for boarding and lodging

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Els has confirmed that the DEOPR is currently in the process of preparing detailed criminal cases to be handed over to the state prosecutor and police in Roodepoort for further investigation and prosecution.

“We cannot allow individuals to exploit older persons under any circumstances. We are determined to see this process through and ensure that justice is done for those who suffered indignity and injury.”

Els has called on families of patients, former patients, and former staff members to come forward with more information that could be helpful to the case they are preparing.