AGREEMENT: Helen Zille

Johannesburg - Western Cape Premier Helen Zille on Tuesday once again came under fire over a tweet regarding the compensation awarded to families of the psychiatric patients who died in the Life Esidimeni tragedy. 

On Monday, retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke awarded more than R250 million to 144 family members of psychiatric patients who died when they were moved from Life Esidimeni facilities to unregistered NGOs.

The compensation will also be awarded to about 68 survivors of the so-called Gauteng Mental Health Marathon Project.

Moseneke also ordered that each family be paid R1m for constitutional damages, R180 000 for trauma and shock, R20 000 for funeral expenses, all of which should be paid within three months. 

The money excludes the claimants' legal fees and counselling which are expected to also run into millions.

Reacting to the announcement, Zille tweeted that while it was good that the families had received "a measure of justice and compensation" she questioned what they had done to raise the alarm before the tragedy occurred.

"It is good that the families of the Life Esidimeni victims have received a measure of justice and compensation. I would like an answer to this question: What did they do, before these tragic deaths, to raise the alarm about their loved ones starving + living in profound neglect?"

This tweet did not go well with Tweeps, who called the controversial Western Cape leader's question "cruel" and "insensitive". 

See some of the reaction to Zille's tweet: