Gauteng DA calls out Health MEC over fake promises on unclaimed bodies

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