Unclaimed and unidentified bodies piling up at Gauteng mortuaries

The Gauteng department of health (GDoH) has called on families and relatives of missing persons to visit Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) mortuaries in the province to check if their loved ones are not part of the unclaimed and unidentified bodies.

According to the health department, there are 938 unclaimed and unidentified bodies across 11 FPS mortuaries.

The FPS mortuaries include Bronkhorstspruit (8), Ga-Rankuwa (69), Pretoria (263), Germiston (127), Heidelberg (9), Sebokeng (94), Springs (49), Carletonville (45), Diepkloof (49), Johannesburg (187) and Roodepoort (38).

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MEC for Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the number of unclaimed and identified bodies was increasing by the day.

“There are families who have been looking for their loved ones not knowing where they are. We encourage them to visit FPS mortuaries to check if their loved ones are not part of the unclaimed bodies, and if that is the case, they can give them a proper burial,” said Nkomo-Ralehoko.

Identification processes

A family member or relative who wishes to identify their loved one should have their original Identity Document (ID), ID of the deceased or birth certificate if the deceased is a child.

If the deceased is a foreign national, a passport, asylum seeker certificate or a letter from country of origin confirming who the deceased is and to whom the remains should be handed over to is needed.

Once a body of a deceased is not identified or claimed within seven days, fingerprints are sent to the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Criminal Record Centre for identification and to the department of home affairs for matching with their records.

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If the identification process is successful, the next of kin is made aware of the deceased through the SAPS’ Investigating Officer for final release and burial or cremation.

If the body is still unidentified 30 days after exhausting means of identification including the use of fingerprints, pauper burial processes are used for the final burial of the deceased.

Updating of home addresses

“The Gauteng FPS makes efforts such as publishing the names of the deceased on various media platforms to inform the public to claim these bodies in order to afford families a dignified burial of a family member,” said the department.

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The public has been advised to always update home addresses with the department of home affairs whenever they relocate as this makes it easier to trace relatives.