Over 3 000 unclaimed bodies in SA: Here’s how long you have to claim a loved one

The Portfolio Committee on Health on Wednesday revealed that more than 3000 unclaimed corpses were piling up in forensic pathology mortuaries across South Africa.

The Department of Health was briefing parliament on the status of unclaimed bodies in state mortuaries.

It was revealed that as of August this year, the country had 3,186 unclaimed persons.

How long do you have to claim a loved one?

The unclaimed bodies have been stored for periods ranging from five months to three years.

According to the policy of unclaimed bodies Regulation 341, families have up to 30 days to claim the body of their loved one.

The former minister of Health Joe Phaahla earlier this year said a body not identified must be moved to a freezer within seven days of admission.

“If such body remains unidentified for 30 days, the municipal council under whose jurisdiction the designated facility must ensure that a pauper burial for such body is undertaken,” said Phaahla.

Phaahla emphasised that facilities with unidentified bodies are required to collect and archive thorough documentation, comprising a photograph, fingerprints, and blood or tissue sample.

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Provincial breakdown

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) had the highest recorded number of unclaimed bodies, with 1,527. This was an increase of 191 bodies from March this year.

With almost triple the gap, KZN is followed by Eastern Cape with 526. In March the province had zero bodies recorded and last year around the same time it had 315 bodies.

Western Cape accumulated 299 unclaimed bodies since March when it had recorded zero bodies, which was the same case last September.

Limpopo with 315 unclaimed bodies in August saw an increase of 32 bodies since March.

Gauteng recorded 176 unclaimed bodies. In March the province had no unclaimed bodies in its state mortuaries. However, last year in September Gauteng had 1009 unclaimed bodies.

North West, with 166 bodies, saw a decrease of 100 bodies since March.

Northern Cape at 31 bodies, also saw a decrease of 20 bodies since March.

Mpumalanga in March had 82 bodies in its facilities, in August this decreased to 53.

Lastly, Free State with 93 unclaimed bodies saw an increase of 20 bodies since March. Last year at around the same time, it had 108 bodies.

ALSO READ: Unclaimed and unidentified bodies piling up at Gauteng mortuaries

Factors contributing to unclaimed bodies

The Department of Health identified three main factors contributing to bodies remaining unclaimed. It said there were linkages between the three, namely community issues, facility issues, and provincial and municipal issues.

At the community level, the department said bodies arrive without any form of identification

“Family members don’t come through to look for their relatives. Once identified, families don’t come to claim the bodies,” it said.

According to the health department, facilities also had challenges with DNA collection, skills shortages, and investigative officer delays.

Provincial and municipal issues included pauper burial delays including non-availability of burial spaces and budget issues, and unidentified foreign nationals.