Bodies pile up as forensic unit down tools in KwaZulu-Natal

As many as 30 bodies had been “piled up” at a mortuary in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, because staff at the Forensic Pathology Unit have downed tools again, the DA said.

The party’s KZN spokesperson on health, Imran Keeka, said mortuary staff who are willing to help bereaved families are at risk of their colleagues’ wrath and “will also end up in the cold room”.

Burials are delayed because post-mortems are not done.

“The grievances of mortuary staff are not new, yet it is clear that KZN health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo does not regard them as urgent, despite ongoing interruptions to this critical service,” Keeka said.

Last week, mortuary staff called for an urgent meeting with senior health officials but, Keeka said, they “did not bother to arrive”. “Their absence, in the face of a looming crisis, must be explained by the MEC who must also provide answers for his own lack of action in this regard.

“Grieving families, who have spoken to the DA on the basis of anonymity, have expressed how they are suffering while waiting to find closure, especially at this time of the year,” Keeka said.

“While the MEC has been quick to previously claim to be of assistance by doing post-mortems himself, the question that must be asked is: where is he now? Clearly he can’t be trusted to resolve any of the crises within his department.”

The DA has asked the chairperson of KZN’s health portfolio committee, Yusuf Bhamjee, to commission a full report into the province’s forensic pathology sector.

“In the interim, we sincerely hope that this action will lead to an immediate improvement in services so that the rights of those who are deceased are no longer violated and so that they can be laid to rest immediately in accordance with their rights and rituals,” said Keeka.

“It is unacceptable what citizens are having to endure and it is ultimately Premier Willies Mchunu who must be held accountable.”