Over 80 unclaimed bodies in mortuaries on the West Rand
There is a large number of unclaimed bodies lying in different mortuaries throughout the Gauteng province and family members are urged to come forward and claim their loved ones.
The Gauteng Department of Health (GDH) is calling on families to visit Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) mortuaries around Gauteng including nearby Carletonville and Roodepoort to check if their loved ones are not part of the unclaimed and unidentified bodies.
This comes as there are about 938 unclaimed and unidentified bodies across 11 FPS mortuaries that families and relatives have not come forth to claim.
The mortuaries in question include Bronkhorstspruit which has a total of eight, Ga-Rankuwa with 69, Pretoria with 263, Germiston with 127, Heidelberg with nine, Sebokeng with 94, Springs with 49, Carletonville with 45, Diepkloof with 49, Johannesburg with 187 and Roodepoort with 38.
In a statement released by MEC of Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said news of this is concerning.
There are families who have been looking for their loved ones not knowing where they are. We encourage them to visit FPS mortuaries to check if their loved ones are not part of the unclaimed bodies, and if that is the case, they can give them a proper burial,” said Nkomo-Ralehoko.
A family member or relative who wishes to identify their loved one should have their original identity document (ID), the ID of the deceased, or a birth certificate – if the deceased is a child.
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 and to whom the remains should be handed, is needed. Once a body of a deceased is not identified or claimed within seven days, fingerprints are sent to the South African Police service’s (SAPS) Criminal Record Centre for identification and to the Home Affairs for matching with their records.
If the identification process was successful, the next of kin is made aware of the deceased through the SAPS investigation officer for final release and burial.
If the body is still unidentified 30 days after exhausting means of identification including the use of fingerprints; pauper burial processes are used for the final burial of the deceased.
