By Johnathan Paoli
Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko is under fire for what certain critics are calling misleading statements about the province’s mortuary crisis, as unclaimed bodies continue to accumulate in state facilities.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has called out as insincere Nkomo-Ralehoko’s assurances made during recent remarks to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, that she was committed to working collaboratively to address the dire conditions in mortuaries, which have become a symbol of neglect within the healthcare system.
DA Gauteng health spokesperson Madeleine Hicklin said on Sunday that Nkomo-Ralehoko had approached her to cooperate with the MEC’s office in addressing the backlog of unclaimed bodies.
However, Hicklin contends that the MEC hosted a select gathering at the Airport Gardens Boutique Hotel last week for what was billed as a ‘public participation discussion’ on forensic medicine, without key stakeholders, including the DA Gauteng Shadow MEC Jack Bloom and members of the Health Portfolio Committee.
She said this exclusion raised concerns about the transparency and inclusivity of Nkomo-Ralehoko’s outreach efforts.
“The MEC’s plea for collaboration seems to have been a mere performance for the cameras. It’s clear that she is more interested in optics than in genuine engagement with those who can provide real solutions to this crisis,” Hicklin said.
The situation has reached alarming levels. Many families are unable or unwilling to claim the bodies of their loved ones due to financial constraints or bureaucratic hurdles.
Hicklin said it remained unacceptable that the poorest of society bore the brunt of increasing failures in the department.
“Under Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s leadership, we are witnessing a troubling trend where empty promises and superficial engagements are the norm,” Hicklin added.
Many have declared the crisis as not merely being about statistics, but it reflected a profound humanitarian crisis within Gauteng’s healthcare system.
Hicklin called for robust regulations in the funeral and undertaking industries to prevent misidentification and to ensure that all residents could receive a dignified end-of-life experience.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has similarly expressed concern at the state of mortuaries not only in Gauteng, but across the country.
More than 3100 bodies are unclaimed and unidentified.
ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona called for improvements in identification systems, including advanced DNA profiling, fingerprint analysis and the creation of a database.
“This is reason enough to call for an urgent intervention because it is now clear that we have a humanitarian crisis and a public health concern that necessitates urgent action,” Ntshona said.
He said the amount of bodies was alarming, considering government policy decreed that unidentified bodies that were not claimed within 30 days must receive a pauper’s burial.
The national health department has claimed that there were three main factors contributing to the accumulation of unclaimed bodies.
At community level, the department held that bodies arrived without any form of identification and that a lot of families were failing to identify their lost loved ones.
In terms of the facilities, challenges concerning DNA collection, inadequate skills and investigation issues, ensured further delays in facilitation.
And on the pauper burial delays, a shortage of burial spaces, budget constraints and unidentified foreign nationals has further exacerbated the situation.
The Health Portfolio Committee revealed last week that KwaZulu-Natal had recorded the highest number of unclaimed bodies, with 1527, followed by the Eastern Cape with 526.
The Western Cape has accumulated 299 unclaimed bodies, followed by Limpopo with 315 and Gauteng with 176.
North West has 166 bodies, the Northern Cape 31 bodies, Mpumalanga 53 bodies, and the Free State has 93 unclaimed bodies.
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