Read more
The health department said there was only one body of a patient at Helen Joseph.
Helen Joseph Hospital. Picture: Facebook
The Gauteng Department of Health has strongly rejected allegations that corpses remain unprocessed at Helen Joseph Hospital’s mortuary due to a shortage of printer cartridges.
It dismissed the claims as misleading and sensationalised.
Gauteng health department’s response to DA’s claims
Provincial health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba refuted the allegations on Sunday, clarifying the actual situation at the facility.
“Contrary to the sensationalised report, the facility’s mortuary currently has only one body of a patient who was declared dead on arrival on Wednesday, 25 June which was initially unknown,” Modiba stated.
The department confirmed that the family of the deceased was traced to KwaZulu-Natal and properly notified.
Modiba said the body is scheduled to be transferred to the forensic team on Monday. This is to allow the chance for processing to enable family collection.
ALSO READ: Gauteng hospitals get major tech overhaul to slash scan backlogs
Temporary printing services disruption
Modiba acknowledged operational challenges at Helen Joseph Hospital.
He explained that the hospital experienced printing service difficulties between 17 and 23 June 2025.
Modiba said the printing services disruption affected processing times at the mortuary.
However, he emphasised that contingency measures were quickly implemented to address the situation.
“The facility management was able to activate contingency measures, which resulted in five families, whose cases were pending, being assisted on Tuesday, 24 June 2025,” Modiba explained.
The printing issues stemmed from delayed payments to two service providers. According to Modiba, the department’s finance team is currently addressing the issue.
ALSO READ: Over 34 000 patients waiting for surgeries in Gauteng’s public hospitals
Initial Helen Joseph corpse claims from the DA
The department’s response came after Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Health Spokesperson Madeleine Hicklin MPL raised concerns about the hospital’s operations.
Hicklin alleged that corpses had been left unprocessed for nearly two weeks due to the lack of printer cartridges needed for important documentation.
“The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is horrified to learn that people who have died over the past 13 days at the Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg cannot be transferred to government mortuaries because the hospital has no printer cartridges to print the necessary documents,” Hicklin stated.
The DA spokesperson claimed that families had been unable to claim their deceased relatives since 17 June 2025.
This was because post-mortems could not be conducted and death certificates could not be issued due to the administrative challenges.
Political implications
Hicklin used the incident to criticise the provincial health leadership. She called for the MEC for Health to ensure adequate supplies at the hospital.
“The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomanto Nkomo-Ralehoko, ensure that this hospital is stocked with adequate cartridges and resources so as not to interrupt and inconvenience any burials, adding unnecessary pain, frustration, and trauma to the families of the deceased,” she said.
The DA spokesperson extended her criticism to the provincial administration, stating that the incident demonstrated broader systemic failures.
“This is also further evidence that under Panyaza Lesufi’s administration, both the living and the dead are not treated with dignity in Gauteng,” Hicklin remarked.
ALSO READ: Helen Joseph Hospital: R98m unspent as infrastructure crumbles
Current status at Helen Joseph
The health department maintains that all outstanding cases have been resolved and no bodies remain unprocessed due to printing challenges.
“The department would like to reiterate that currently Helen Joseph Hospital has no corpses that are outstanding and awaiting to be processed as a result of printing challenges,” Modiba affirmed.
READ NEXT: Team appointed to probe death at Witrand Psychiatric Hospital
