A view inside the Talisman Foundation, a Johannesburg-based psychosocial rehabilitation centre providing long-term care for people living with mental health conditions. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla) The eviction of mental healthcare users from Johannesburg’s Talisman Foundation has been put on hold for three months following an urgent intervention by national Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.
The Talisman Foundation is a psychosocial rehabilitation centre that specialises in the long-term care and treatment of people with mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia. The Foundation’s 200 registered beds are supported by a 19-person clinical team, including a psychiatric nurse and social workers.
In April, Daily Maverick reported that in February the foundation had received notice to vacate the premises by 14 May 2026, a decision that left families terrified and civil society concerned about it being another Life Esidimeni tragedy in the making.
On 1 May, Motsoaledi led a high-level stakeholder engagement aimed at finding urgent and sustainable solutions regarding the challenges facing the Talisman Foundation.
“The minister did this because there is no one in South Africa who wants to see a repeat of Life Esidimeni ever again, and the minister believed that all stakeholders involved in this saga will not want to see Life Esidimeni repeating itself in South Africa,” read the statement.
/file/attachments/orphans/ED_597708_675008.jpg "Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. (Photo: Gallo Images / Jeffrey Abrahams)")
The meeting was chaired by Motsoaledi and attended by:
- MEC for Health and Wellness in Gauteng, Faith Mazibuko.
- Acting DG of the national Department of Health with the Mental Health Unit.
- Senior officials of the Department of Health in Gauteng.
- Chairperson of Johannesburg District Mental Health Review Board.
- Representative of the SA Human Rights Commission.
- Representative of SECTION27.
- South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag).
- Executive and Board of the Talisman Foundation
- The leaders of the Old Apostolic Church (South Africa).
“We can assure the nation that the process of finding an amicable solution was agreed upon in that meeting, such that no mental health user will be removed from the premises of the church, while this process of looking for a solution is going on,” read the statement.
The meeting also shed new light on the property dispute. It emerged that the Old Apostolic Church actually decided to sell the facility as far back as 2003, and has been waiting since then. Motsoaledi thanked the church for its empathy and cooperation.
He added that the looming threat of a potential eviction had already caused widespread panic as several terrified family members had already removed their loved ones from the centre, despite the residents still needing specialised care.
To address this, a team made up of the various stakeholders has been appointed to urgently track down the families who fled. The team will assess each individual patient and make an informed decision on how to safely manage their care.
SECTION27 welcomes halt to hurried relocation
Asiphe Funda, an attorney at SECTION27, the public interest law centre representing the foundation, expressed relief over the department stepping in.
“We are happy with the process being undertaken by the department. It’s not a finalised process, but the fact that they have intervened and ensured that there is no hurried relocation of the residents is something that we’re definitely pleased about. At this point, we don’t have any concerns we’d like to highlight,” she said.
Funda added that the department was helping mediate a massive financial headache between the Talisman Foundation and the City of Johannesburg regarding the property’s electricity bill.
It was recently discovered that the electricity billing for the facility had been inaccurate for nearly five years because the meter used to charge the foundation actually belonged to an entirely different property.
While the Old Apostolic Church had tried to resolve the billing mix-up with the City of Johannesburg to secure a credit refund for the incorrect charges, the matter remained unresolved.
Motsoaledi commended for crucial mediating role
Jackie Tau, Chairperson of the Talisman Foundation, confirmed that an extension of three months had been agreed upon.
“No patients are being relocated, and some of the patients that left voluntarily have been contacted to come back, but we’re not accepting any new patients for the next three months,” he said.
Tau also noted that a team of Department of Health engineers had been sent in to assess the building, and it was their view that the department wanted to buy the property.
“Things are looking up, and we’re feeling better, but three months go by so quickly. If we can just see that the department completes the buying of the building with the Old Apostolic Church, then we’ll be happy. We’ll all be happy, because we’ve been asked for our view as a foundation, and we have documented that we prefer them to buy the building,” he said.
Tau expressed relief and commended Motsoaledi’s efforts, crediting recent media coverage for prompting him to act.
“I must say that as a mediator, he played a very good role; we were very impressed with how he approached everything. We’re very happy with the commitment that a second Life Esidimeni under his watch will never happen,” said Tau. DM