Family gets urgent court order to bury relative

A LENASIA family had to resort to taking the Gauteng Department of Health to court so they could finally bury their relative, who had been dead for a week.

Irfaan Yusuf Bhayat obtained an urgent order on Saturday from the High Court in Johannesburg to get an autopsy performed on his cousin, Mohammad, 28, so the body could be released for burial.

Forensic pathology officers at state mortuaries in Gauteng have been on a go-slow for two weeks in protest over grievances, which included salaries.

Mohammad died of unnatural causes on June 10 and his body was kept at the mortuary for seven days.

As per Muslim custom, the deceased has to be buried within 24 hours.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa, the Gauteng Department of Health and Sowetobased Diepkloof Mortuary were respondents in the matter.

The order stipulated that the autopsy be carried out either at Diepkloof, by working staff or private pathologists, or for the body to be released to the Central Islamic Trust.

The family’s lawyer, Yousha Tayob, said the body had been taken to Hillbrow Mortuary.

“The family was very relieved to get the order. We were working on it on Saturday and they released the body and he was able to be buried.”

A funeral service was held on Saturday evening at Avalon Cemetery.

The Health Department had not commented at time of publication, but it had released a statement last week indicating that military hospital services had been roped in to deal with autopsies at state mortuaries.

According to Mohammad’s Facebook page, he worked in creative design. He and his family are originally from Botswana.

He was unmarried and had no children.

Friends paid tribute to the avid body builder on the social media network.

“Time to rest now, my friend. It makes little sense, but only you know why you had to leave us. Thank you for the special memories,” wrote Boitumelo Moja.