Faulty fridges at state mortuary leave bad smell
Unidentified bodies at the mortuary have started to decompose due to faulty refrigerators revealed a source.
POLOKWANE – The personnel at the Lebowakgomo Forensic Mortuary reported the broken equipment to management in February, but repairs have not been done explained the source.
“Some of the bodies are badly decomposed and that is what causes the smell. The smell is so bad it makes it impossible for the employees to work.
“They wear masks but it does not help much. People who come to identify bodies get sick, that is how bad the smell is,” a source revealed.
Department of Health Spokesperson, Derick Kganyago, said the reason for the slow repair of the refrigerators is a lack of leadership and management at the facility.
“We consider such incidents as an emergency as the environment is not conducive for employees to work in as they could get sick. We have urged management to immediately repair the fridges. The department can confirm that repair work has started,” Kganyago said.
The bodies remain at the mortuary, while the refrigerators are being repaired.
“The burial of unidentified bodies is done between the Department of Health and the municipality, but before a body can be buried there are certain procedures that need to be followed.
“We need to put out a public notice where we give family of the unknown person a certain period to identify the body. If the time expires without the body being identified we start with funeral arrangements,” Kganyago explained.
