‘Nine hours in a soiled nappy’: Daughter’s shocking allegations about Hermanus Hospital
Tuesday, 29 September 2026
An 82-year-old man has died just days after his daughter sent a desperate plea to Hermanus Times alleging neglect, verbal abuse and degrading treatment during his stay at Hermanus Provincial Hospital.
Mornay du Plessis was paralysed on his left side and completely dependent on others for his most basic needs following a serious stroke.
His daughter Claudette Steyn, who asked Hermanus Times to investigate what she had witnessed, described the experience as “a nightmare. She said that she was “horrified and deeply afraid” of what may happen to vulnerable patients when family members are not present to witness their care.
“I want to know what they are hiding,” she said in tears.
Soiled for hours
According to Steyn, her father was left in a soiled nappy for approximately nine hours. She alleged a trainee doctor assessed her father, pushed the bed into a sitting position, slapped him in the face and said, “Come now, wake up”.
“I intervened because my father, with his one good eye, was so afraid, confused and disoriented. I was left with such insults, and the abuse continued from 10 in the morning till 20:00.”
She said her father had open wounds on his feet that were not attended to and that he was not assessed as a severe stroke patient.
“It was only at approximately 20:00 that they took my father to a ward. I was physically shoved out of the way.”
When staff began undressing and attending to her father, Steyn said she was instructed to wait outside. “From outside the room I could hear male nursing staff speaking to my father in a manner I found insulting and degrading. My father was crying.”
She said she wanted to stay with him. Instead, she alleged, she was physically shoved out of the way and told she was not allowed to accompany him.
“This is an elderly man who had suffered a serious medical event. [He] couldn’t use the left side of his body and was scared, in pain and dependent on the people caring for him.”
Thirsty, in pain, begging to go home
On another visit, Steyn related, her father repeatedly asked her for water.
“He was extremely thirsty, and I could see no drip attached to him at the time. He complained of severe pain in his back, neck, legs and his swollen left hand.” He told her he couldn’t turn himself and staff were not helping him turn, despite his pain. “He held onto my hand and asked me to rub his painful leg.”
She said he repeatedly begged her to take him home, telling her entreaties were causing further abuse.
Steyn also raised concerns that her father may not have received food or water for three days; though she said she was not sure whether he was being fed through a tube or whether it was used only for crushed medicine.
On trying to obtain information about her father’s condition and treatment, she said she experienced behaviour from some intern doctors that she considered dismissive, cheeky and insulting.
Steyn said she begged to speak to the doctor responsible for her father’s care and was told the doctor would contact her after assessing him. That call, she said, never came.
Phones confiscated
The daughter also raised concerns about what she described as the hospital’s intense policing of mobile phones.
She said security personnel intervene when they see people using their phones, and she has witnessed phones being confiscated or taken away.
“Why is there such an extraordinary focus on preventing phone use in a public hospital,” she asked. “Particularly when relatives need to communicate a patient’s condition or legitimate concerns?”
Department answers
According to spokesperson of the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, Phiwe Phillips, they were aware of the concerns raised regarding the treatment of the patient at Hermanus Provincial Hospital.
“We acknowledge these allegations are distressing and understand the concern and anxiety experienced by family members when questions are raised about the care of a loved one who had serious health complications. Every patient has the right to be treated with dignity, respect and compassion, and we take any concerns regarding patient care seriously.”
The hospital has been requested to review the allegations urgently and the circumstances surrounding the patient’s care and make contact with the family to discuss the concerns raised.
“We encourage patients, family members and community members to use the department’s official complaints channels,” Phillips said. “So concerns can be formally received, investigated and addressed, while also helping us identify opportunities to improve patient care and the overall patient experience.”
She said people can use the suggestion or complaints box at a healthcare facility; requesting to speak to the manager on duty and receive real-time feedback; calling 0860 142 142 or emailing service@westerncape.gov.za.
“The department remains committed to ensuring that all patients receive safe, respectful and quality care.”
Not the first complaint
The allegations came less than a week after Hermanus Provincial Hospital had faced public criticism over a separate incident.
On 21 September, a patient reported on social media that an admissions clerk was absent for more than an hour past a posted return time. The Overberg District Health Department confirmed it was aware of the complaint and said hospital management had launched an internal review.
Phillips said that “appropriate action would be taken based on the review’s outcome”.