Ugu Health District’s Forensic Pathology Department celebrated 20 years of service and awarded staff at a special event on September 3.

The department, which initially operated under the Saps, was moved to the KZN Department of Health in 2006.

District Director Linda Dlamini said some staff members were employed by the police and were transferred to the health department during the transition.

“We wanted to celebrate them for facing many challenges and those who chose to stay and continue with the service.”

Forensic pathology is an essential public health service responsible for investigating unnatural, sudden, or unexplained deaths through medico-legal post-mortems.

The department collects and transports bodies from death scenes or crime scenes to mortuaries.

Park Rynie facility manager Dumisani Magubane said that it was a big day for the department.

“Our work is not popular, but it is a crucial and important job because it gives our communities closure when they have lost a loved one or when there is an investigation into a person who died unnaturally.”

Magubane added that the department works closely with other government departments such as the police and the Department of Justice.

Furthermore, he said highly qualified doctors conduct post-mortems; the findings are then presented to the relevant departments for further investigation.

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