The poor state of the Northern Cape state mortuary has come under the spotlight after a Kimberley family claimed that the body of their loved one lay on the floor for almost a week.
THE POOR state of the Northern Cape state mortuary has come under the spotlight after a Kimberley family complained that the body of their loved one allegedly lay on the floor for almost a week.
Family members of Vernon Japhta, 43, said they were left traumatised after finding his body “lying on the floor” at the Kimberley Forensic Mortuary after it was taken in on Thursday, August 11.
The deceased’s sister, Daverleen dos Passos, also claimed that Japhta’s body was handled in a most disrespectful and undignified manner by the forensic team on the day it was retrieved from his flat in Kimberley.
Dos Passos said that the forensic pathology vehicle that arrived at the scene was faulty, and the canopy’s lid repeatedly bashed against the head of the deceased.
“When we complained to the forensic worker, he said there was nothing he could do about the matter and referred us to his superior to lay a complaint,” she said.
The family is also concerned after claiming that the body has been lying on the floor of the mortuary for almost a week, ahead of the funeral on Wednesday.
“We went to the forensics on Friday to complain and made the shocking discovery of the body lying on the floor. When we asked for an explanation as to why an already decomposed body was lying on the floor, we were told by the same worker who went to collect the body that all the fridges are full. He was very unhelpful and said there was nothing that they could do,” said Dos Passos.
“Our concern was not only for ourselves but also for the workers who are exposed to such situations.
“We were warned that the body could not be taken to any other funeral parlour; and that even the family can’t view it or take it home during the burial due to the state it was in.
“The worker also told us that there won’t be an autopsy done on the body because it was found decomposed,” added Dos Passos.
She claimed that they went to the forensic pathology mortuary again on Monday, when they wanted to take measurements for the coffin, and found the body still lying on the floor.
The family said they were informed “off the record” that the fridges are full of unclaimed bodies, some of which date back to 2016, and that the department has no plans in place to bury them.
“This has been a nightmare for us. We keep on checking on a daily basis whether the situation remains the same or whether a plan has been made for the body to be put in a fridge,” said Dos Passos.
“We went to the mortuary again on Tuesday but could not even enter through the gate due to the unbearable stench on the premises. We are convinced that the stench comes from the body of our loved one.”
The Northern Cape Department of Health disputed the claims that the body was mishandled or treated with disrespect.
Department spokesperson Lebogang Majaha said the deceased’s body was retrieved from the scene and handled with dignity and respect and according to the Forensic Pathology Service’s policies and guidelines.
“At no point were the remains handled with disrespect,” said Majaha.
“Due to the state the body was in, members from the public gathered away from the vehicle and could not have witnessed the retrieval.
“The remains of the deceased were transported to the Kimberley Forensic Mortuary and were stored according to protocols in waiting for the post-mortem, which was conducted on Friday, August 12.”
Majaha added that the department has recently procured new fridges and bodies are collected regularly by the families of the deceased for burial, resulting in sufficient storage space.
