Odour from body in shaft
THE SOURCE of a mysterious stench at Helen Joseph Hospital in Joburg was solved yesterday when a body was discovered in a maintenance shaft.
Gauteng Health Department spokesman Steve Mabona said hospital staff had been plagued by a terrible smell since the last week of December.
“They searched on the premises but could not find it. They thought there was a (dead) rat.
“They tried to throw in detergent and cleaned the place but the smell did not go away,” he explained.
The Department of Infrastructure and Development was then called in to look for the source of the smell.
“The body was found today (Monday) at about 7.30am at the bottom of the maintenance shaft. A male was found naked and partially decomposed.”
Mabona said the shaft was not easily accessible, except during maintenance.
He indicated that the hospital had one missing patient who was not accounted for, but that the body had not been linked to any missing person as yet.
The police are investigating.