Brothers take wrong body to bury

Hospital didn’t mix up labels on corpses

The disastrous mix-up of two corpses at a Mpumalanga public hospital happened despite the bodies being correctly labelled.

This is according to a detailed account from the provincial health department on the events leading up to Simon Sikhosana’s burial by the wrong family about 90km from his home.

Yesterday, provincial health spokesperson Dumisani Malamule confirmed that Sikhosana was buried in the grave of 59-year-old Joseph Sekhwende in Pankop.

Sowetan reported yesterday that Sikhosana’s grieving mother Betty Sikhosana was desperate to bury her son following the confusion.

Malamule said Sikhosana was admitted on August 30 and discharged on September 7.

“On September 15 2018, Mr Baphelile Simon Skhosana was certified dead at 10.22pm by a doctor. The deceased was wrapped, labelled and taken to the hospital mortuary.”

He said Sekhwende died on September 12 and was also wrapped and labelled before being placed at the mortuary.

“Two brothers of the deceased confirmed the deceased is their brother. The deceased was buried in the morning of September 23 2018 at Pankop Greenside Cemetery.”

Malamule said the Sekhwende family later admitted to taking the wrong body. He said the matter was reported to the Mmametlhake police station and the exhumation process would be completed by the end of this week. “The department will bear the costs for the exhumation, funeral undertaker and coffin.”