Local forensic pathologist makes bones talk for justice

Often when people go missing, abducted or their whereabouts are unknown, families and friends may only find relief in closure many years later when tragedy unearths a dead body.

A crime has been committed, and in moments such as these, the criminal justice process begins with a highly specialised forensic analysis of the crime scene and body, or bones.

Dr Steve Naidoo, a specialist independent forensic pathologist based in Seatides for almost 35 years, is one of a small handful of experts in the field who have the skills and expertise to decipher exactly what could have happened, often many years after the crime has been committed.

Having an affinity for human biology throughout his youth, Naidoo fought his way out of the rural farm life in Langabalela, Port Shepstone, and worked night and day to get through medicine at the University of Natal from 1976 to 1981, eventually specialising in forensic medicine in 1990.

“What drove me towards the criminal justice aspect of medicine was a conscious awareness of human rights, especially those who have been abused, disadvantaged or disenfranchised,” said Naidoo, whose skills have been sought by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the United Nations (UN), imparting his expertise as far as the former Yugoslavia, eastern Europe, The Gambia, and in particular South Sudan.

Following the eruption of civil war during South Sudan’s struggle for independence, the humble North Coast pathologist was called upon by the UN to investigate the massacres on both sides of the conflict.

Naidoo recalls a case in the North Coast in 1997 when Ntombi Priscilla Kubheka’s body was exhumed from the Charlottedale Cemetery in Stanger.

Kubheka had been abducted 10 years earlier by the police special branch, tortured and murdered, and her body dumped.

After reporting the death was from natural causes, special branch police were found guilty of murder and refused amnesty at the TRC when Naidoo examined her skull and found a bullet wound to the head and a bullet fell out of her skull. The police then faced criminal prosecution for murder.

Naidoo was also instrumental in unearthing the truth about political detainee Ahmed Timol, who was alleged to have committed suicide by leaping from a window while in detention at John Vorster Square in Johannesburg in 1971.

Naidoo’s expert testimony, however, ruled that Timol had been tortured to death and his body thrown out by police.

The ongoing inquest into the death of white doctor, trade unionist and anti-apartheid activist Neil Agget under similar circumstances in 1982 is another inquiry that Naidoo is also actively taking part in.

Despite the grisly career that intrigues Naidoo and repulses others, he remains humble and never forgets his upbringing, often spending his time in his garden at home, reading quietly or practicing yoga.

“The North Coast has a remarkable tranquility,” said Naidoo.

In stark contrast to scenes from his work, where he was once lowered into a ravine by helicopter to examine the remains of a body, or at the site of the Marikana massacre in 2012 as part of the commission of inquiry, or even giving expert commentary during the trial of Oscar Pistorius after the infamous athlete notoriously shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, Naidoo is calm and collected.

When asked about the current state of mortuary and pathology facilities in Stanger, Naidoo maintains that inept management is still a major problem.

“All forensic pathology services are saddled with challenges of administration. The difficulty of finding proficiently trained doctors is a countrywide burden,” said Naidoo, who spends most of his time now lecturing younger prodigies in his field of forensic pathology but with a spin on understanding the practical nature of ‘street’ law and sexual violence.

“Peripheral facilities away from city centres suffer most, as their doctors are largely untrained and unsupported by consultant specialist supervision.”

Living quietly in Seatides, Naidoo says that the reward for his work is not primarily financial, which is almost certainly why there are only a specialised few undertaking his line of work.

“Seeing truth prevailing and justice being done for those in desperate straits or indigent circumstances is enough for me.”

Naidoo also expressed his appreciation for the North Coast by contrasting his experiences elsewhere, and says that locals can be appreciative of the fact that we live in a relatively stable environment.

“I have been to places in Africa where land mines had to be cleared before I was allowed into a field to examine a crime scene, or an armed escort was put in place to conduct a risk assessment and secure an area before I was allowed to alight from an armoured vehicle.”

Asked why treating a dead body with dignity mattered so crucially, the scholarly doctor merely quoted a line from 19th century British prime minister Sir William Gladstone:

“Show me the manner in which a nation or a community cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals.”

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