Malegapuru Makgopa, South Africa’s health ombudsman, has said that 94 mentally-ill patients died  of starvation, dehydration and diarrhoea at care centres last year. The deaths followed a ‘reckless’ attempt by the government to save money by transferring patients from a specialised institution to centres with ‘invalid licences’. Mr Makgopa released his findings in a report entitled ‘94 Silent Deaths and Counting’. Visibly angry, he described the deaths as unlawful and called on law enforcement agencies to take up the cases. His investigation was prompted by complaints from families who were desperately searching for their relatives. A total of 1,900 patients were transferred by the Gauteng health department to various unregulated care organisations. The findings have led to the resignation of the province’s health minister.