Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Tales of Salt River Mortuary told by one of its oldest staffers
JUST like the captain of any ship, Wayne Mitten is proud and protective of one of the Cape’s oldest mortuaries.
And after working at Salt River Mortuary for nearly 40 years, Mitten, a veteran police officer who is now the assistant director and facility manager, said the smell of bodies is something no staff member gets used to. He’s also been told a few chilling ghost stories about the mortuary which is now set to be declared a heritage site.
He is the assistant director of the Forensic Pathology Services at Salt River Mortuary, and nothing passes his nose without him knowing about it, from dealing with grief-stricken family members to assisting in identifying a body.
“I joined the SAPS in 1984,” he said. “I did my training, and I was transferred after doing special guarding training to VIP unit, where we had to look after ministers.
“Two years after that, I was then transferred to Salt River Morgue, that was in 1986 until present. I am possibly one of the oldest serving employees. He said he was a Warrant Officer.
“I applied for the position as facility manager.”
It’s just another day on the job for Mitten, who sits in front of a large television monitor, observing the operations and procedures of autopsies.
As our team carried out the interview, live visuals of the daily operations of the morgue could be seen, staff dressed in theatre gear, bodies placed on beds in rows. Some appeared to be burnt, while others seemed to be undergoing a post-mortem.
The smell emanating from the morgue told their stories.
“When they open the fridges, you
get the smell. The smell is something you will never get used to,” he said.
He added that staff never get used to the deaths of children and babies.
He recalled high-profile cases, such as the victims of the Station Strangler.
“I’ve always said to myself, this is not work you can take outside of these doors. I always told myself, the first night I dream about this, it will be the day I decide I am finished.”
Mitten shared how he was called to assist with the identification of bodies in 2007 when a Boeing 737-800 bound for Kenya crashed.
“We were there for just over two weeks with another team from the UK. It was an experience for me. No one knows what happens in a disaster until it happens. The planning for a disaster happens when it takes place.
“We were called in a week later, and worked at the mortuary. We had access to scene photographs. I have always been interested in identification.”
Mitten added their biggest battle was identifying bodies correctly because relatives were not equipped with the correct paperwork and documentation.
“The integral part of our work is the visual identification and an opportunity to say their goodbyes,” he said.
“We have looked at this in the new facility, we have learnt from this facility, and taken that over to the new facility. If a body has not been identified, it cannot be buried.
“A very important aspect is the identification and working with families and to make sure there are no irregularities. There is no integration between the departments, such as Home Affairs. We can fulfil a very important role of Home Affairs by having access to fingerprints.
“A family member comes in and is traumatised, and they can easily make a mistake and identify the wrong person. We have had issues like that.”
Asked whether he had any ghostlike experiences, he said staff had often shared stories about being pinned down by a spirit while working the graveyard shift.
“I knew two guys who worked the night shift. They came from the police
service. They claimed that when they worked 12 hour shifts, one would sleep while the other was awake. He would say he cannot sleep here because the ghosts are holding him down. I have personally seen no ghosts. Your mind does run away with you at times.”
Mitten said they were ready to deal with unreasonable family members, even criminal ones.
“We work with gang-related incidents on a regular basis, which is always a concern and a threat,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if it is a gangster. The family might not be a gangster. Those are the people we need to respect. Our clients are not the deceased but their family members.
“We do have two staff members who have police backgrounds and know how to deal with unruly crowds. It’s about understanding their trauma.”