Families of missing persons are now turning to Gauteng mortuaries to assist in their search. This follows the provincial health department’s call for families to visit Forensic Pathology Service morgues to verify that their missing loved ones are not among the unclaimed or unidentified bodies.
Officials indicated that there were more than 900 unclaimed bodies in various Gauteng mortuaries. Pretoria reported that they had over 260 bodies followed by Johannesburg with 187, Germiston has more than 120 and the least was Bronkhorstspruit with 8 bodies.
Moeketsi Ramatsa from Forensic Pathology Service says operations are heavily impacted.
Families, who don’t know the whereabouts of their loved ones, have been encouraged to visit Forensic Pathology Service mortuaries and possibly identify their missing family members.
Family members or relatives who wish to identify their loved ones should have their own ID and the ID of the deceased, or a birth certificate if the deceased was a child.
If the deceased is a foreign national, a passport, asylum seeker certificate, or a letter from the country of origin confirming who the deceased is and to whom the remains should be handed over are needed.
However, if the body remains unidentified 30 days after exhaustive efforts of identification. Then pauper burial processes for the deceased are arranged.
