Court action leads to release of body

212 bodies waiting for autopsies

A Muslim family had to resort to court to get an order to have the body of their loved one released for burial as the strike by forensic workers grips Gauteng.

The family of the late Mohammad Yusuf Bhayat of Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, made an urgent court application on Saturday at the South Gauteng High Court to have his body released by Diepkloof Forensic Services.

This after the family had been experiencing difficulties in getting it due to the ongoing strike by forensic workers. The workers are demanding danger allowances and recognition of their work during postmortems.

Several facilities in Gauteng have been affected by the strike, resulting in delays for funerals. Lawyer Yousha Tayob, for the Bhayat family, said the family was inconvenienced because their religion required them to bury the deceased as soon as possible.

On Saturday the court ordered the department to perform the autopsy immediately and release the body, failing which they (the department) must take “all necessary steps to afford a private forensic pathologist access to Diepkloof mortuary to conduct the autopsy,” read the order.

Bhayat was buried on Saturday night. Also inconvenienced is the family of blind runner Richard Monisi who died two weeks ago.

As of yesterday morning there were 212 bodies waiting for autopsies at government mortuaries in Diepkloof, Roodepoort, Germiston and Johannesburg central, the department confirmed last night.

Eighty three autopsies have been done by 10 officials from SANDF and other volunteers from Wits University.

Department spokesman Khutso Rabothata said they were waiting for today’s outcome of the bargaining council which would determine the end of the go-slow action.