938 bodies need to be claimed, identified
Families to go to goverment morturies if they are looking for their lost loved ones.
The Gauteng Department of Health has 938 unclaimed and unidentified bodies in its forensic pathology service mortuaries that need to be linked to families.
The department appeals to families who have missing family members in Gauteng to visit the forensic pathology service mortuaries in the province to check if their loved ones are not part of the group of unclaimed and unidentified bodies.
The bodies are found in 11 mortuaries in Gauteng.
The MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, said it is concerning that the number of unclaimed, identified bodies is increasing.
“There are families who have been looking for their loved ones, and they haven’t found them to date. Now, families can come and check the bodies in the government mortuaries and, if possible, find their loved ones and give them a proper burial,” said Nkomo-Ralehoko.
She added that the families must bring the original identity book or certificate of their loved one.
“If the deceased is a foreign national, a passport, asylum seeker certificate, or a letter from the country of origin confirming who the deceased is will be needed.
“We do have the mechanisms to identify a deceased person’s family.
“When a body is not identified or claimed in seven days, the forensic pathology services sends the fingerprints to the SAPS’s criminal record centre or the Department of Home Affairs for identification. If the process is successful, the family will be informed by the SAPS’ investigating officer and the body will either be released or cremated,” explained the MEC.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said that if a body is not identified or claimed within 30 days, a pauper’s burial will be done for the deceased.
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