Question NW3087 to the Minister of Health
11 October 2023 - NW3087
Hicklin, Ms MB to ask the Minister of Health
(1)With respect to the devastating fire that occurred in Johannesburg and claimed the lives of 76 people, 12 of whom were children, (a) what are the reasons that the bodies were taken to the mortuary in Diepkloof and not the Hillbrow mortuary for postmortems and (b) to what extent is the Stage 6 load shedding affecting the identification of bodies given that very few mortuaries have generators; (2) how effective has the biometric system been in helping to identify the bodies of the 76 victims whose remains can still be identified bearing in mind that many of the victims are believed to be immigrants; (3) whether he has been informed that an amount of R700,00 has been demanded from the family members collecting and/or identifying the bodies or remains of their loved ones before the bodies or remains are released to them; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) steps will he take regarding allegations of the illegal practice as neither the Gauteng Department of Health nor the Gauteng Forensic Pathology Services are allowed to charge for rendering the specified services and (b) consequences will there be for officials who have been found guilty of contravening the law by demanding illegal payment for the services rendered?
Reply:
1. (a) Bodies were taken to both Hillbrow (Johannesburg) and Diepkloof Forensic mortuaries.
- The Diepkloof Forensic Mortuary was used for postmortem examination, but also as a central storage for bodies so that families can access one central point for identification of family members.
- The Hillbrow (Johannesburg) was also used to conduct advanced scientific investigation such as DNA harvesting, Fingerprint taking and use of the LODOX/ X-Ray services.
(b) All mortuaries in Gauteng province operate with back-up/emergency generators.
(2) The Gauteng Department Health indicates that there were 21 fingerprints taken from the bodies using Forensic Pathology Digital Fingerprint system, 12 bodies were verified of which four (4) bodies were that of immigrants with valid Republic of South Africa permit.
(3) Currently, Gauteng Department of Health Forensic Pathology Service offers a no-fee for the investigation service. The said allegations were investigated by means of CCTV footages, security access control register and media announcements with no success in identifying the complainant.
In addition, Department of Health in Gauteng held a live TV interview session with Newsroom Africa on 07 September 2023 to create public awareness regarding free investigative services provided by Gauteng Forensic Pathology service.
END.