Mortuary waiting period reduced from 6 to 2 days
he told some ANC members he doubted they had ever seen the inside of a university.
Speaker Sharna Fernandez deemed Fritz’s comments towards the ANC members disrespectful and unparliamentary. Fritz, who refused to withdraw his statement, left the chamber in a huff following a request from Fernandez.
DA member Lorraine Botha said the state should never replace the role of parents, caregivers or the family.
“Our primary role is to assist our residents so that they are able to effectively function as family units where children feel loved,” she said.
ANC MPL Pholisa Makeleni said the DA had to take responsibility for failing to protect the interests of children and youth.
“Their delay in establishing the child commissioner exposed young children to atrocities,” she said. “Child-headed households are neglected in this province. They are equally not provided the necessary counselling, which may lead to traumatic disturbances of young children.” THE WAITING period for Muslim autopsies has been reduced from six days to two days, the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) announced.
This after the council engaged in a meeting with Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo over the mortuary backlog which delayed post-mortems, thus not meeting the pre-agreed customary 24-hour burial procedure in Islam.
The MJC said: “Statistics presented by the Department of Health indicate that after one month there was a reduction in the timeline for the release of Muslim bodies from six days to three days and then to 48 hours. The department further stated the delay arose from the late identification of bodies.”
To fast-track the identification process of the deceased, the MJC has committed itself to using social media and radio to help share information of the deceased in order to find the families.
The MJC said the department had agreed mortuary staff would not be taking leave over the December period.
Shaykh Riad Fataar, chairperson of the Cemetery Board, said: “While we are happy the department is willing to assist in this process, we continue to emphasise that Muslim bodies must be returned to the families within the agreed 24 hours.”
Mbombo said: “The department welcomes the spirit of the engagement with MJC and encourages other parties to engage with us directly. Community members can assist the speedy release of bodies by quick response to the calls for identification. – Staff Reporter