Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has been urged by the DA in the province to immediately intervene at the Phoenix Medico-Legal Mortuary following reports that bodies were piling up on the floor due to overcrowding.
DA KZN spokesperson on health Dr Rishigen Viranna said a lack of regular water supply was delaying post-mortems.
“The reports come while bereaved families are also allegedly being solicited for bribes by staff of up to R5 000 in order to have their loved one’s bodies seen to sooner,” Viranna said.
He said the DA was made aware of numerous complaints during the past few days from various bereaved family members.
“Apart from water issues, there is allegedly also a general lack of assistance from staff at the facility. That families are being forced to suffer further emotional trauma as a result of unhelpful and disinterested management is disgraceful,” Viranna said.
He said the DA had approached the KZN health portfolio committee to request a full-scale and urgent inspection.
“We are pleased to report that this is being arranged for later this week,” Viranna said.
He said it was critical that the deceased at the facility were treated with dignity and that their loved ones were afforded the respect and closure they deserve.
“In the interim, the DA expects MEC Simelane-Zulu and her HOD, Dr Sandile Tshabalala, to sit up and take notice of what is happening at this facility and to intervene without any further delay,” Viranna added.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Daily News reported on the story of a father who was left distraught by the state of an “over full” Phoenix Mortuary where his son’s body was still lying on the floor a week later.
On Saturday afternoon, Karl Dauth’s Facebook post read: “My son who passed has been at Phoenix State Mortuary since last Saturday I went to identify his body, he was in the same police body bag lying on the floor, the mortuary is over full, they have no water to do autopsies, it is absolutely terrible to know your son is lying in that state I tried to report this to everyone and got one response, yet the Premier gets water delivered to his house, I heard I can bribe someone cost between R2000 and R5000, so this is what I’m going to try and do, so sad I just got to keep saying it’s just his body his soul is gone, but is is so hard.” (sic)
In a screenshot of an email posted with Dauth’s post, Viranna responds to a Lyndal, assumed to have sent him an email regarding the state of the mortuary.
Viranna said: “The conditions are terrible and completely inhumane for the deceased families. I have raised this with my health committee chairperson for an oversight visit to the Phoenix Mortuary in the upcoming week.”
In another Facebook post on Sunday morning, Dauth said the deputy mayor, Philani Mavundla, said his son’s body would be ready for collection at 11am on Monday.
Last week the Daily News reported that a non-governmental organisation stepped in to assist the mortuary.
Vice-chairperson of the KZN undertakers forum and ActionSA councillor Ahmed Paruk facilitated the donation of a 5 000-litre water tank to assist the mortuary in Phoenix as it is operating without a regular water supply. It was done in conjunction with Jamiatul Ulama KZN.
Daily News