2366 unclaimed and unidentified bodies in Gauteng mortuaries including Roodepoort
8.5 per cent of the total number of 27 737 bodies stored in the mortuaries over this period.
Gauteng’s state mortuaries have had 2 366 unclaimed and unidentified bodies since March last year, said the DA’s shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom, in a press statement released this morning, 4 December.
Also Read:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2018/04/20/state-mortuary-denies-serious-allegations/
This was revealed by Gauteng Health MEC, Gwen Ramokgopa, in a written reply to Bloom’s questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
The breakdown is as follows from April 2017 to end-October 2018:
• Unidentified bodies – 2 287
• Unclaimed bodies – 79
This is 8,5 per cent of the total number of 27 737 bodies stored in the mortuaries over this period.
According to Ramokgopa, the three major causes of unnatural deaths that require a postmortem in state mortuaries are shootings, motor vehicle accidents and stab wounds.
“I am concerned by the high number of unidentified and unclaimed bodies. It is tragic that many families do not know the fate of their loved ones because they have been buried anonymously after suffering a violent death. I suspect that some of the 21 missing Life Esidimeni patients suffered this fate because they died and were not identified at a mortuary,” said Bloom in the statement.
“There should be an internet site with controlled access so that people can try and identify those who have gone missing and are likely dead.
But most of all, effective action needs to be taken to decrease the high number of violent deaths in Gauteng. This requires a professional police force with adequate resources to combat the intolerable level of crime in our province,” he continued.
Speaking to the Record, Bloom said he asked for a breakdown per mortuary but has yet to receive it, if he ever gets it. But he added that with Roodepoort being one of the bigger state mortuaries he could “confidently say that there must be at least 200 or more unclaimed and unidentified bodies at Roodepoort State Mortuary”.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
