UPDATE: Body bag culprits identified

FOLLOWING investigations carried out by the ZO together with the King Cetshwayo District Municipality (KCDM) Environmental Health Services Unit and the Department of Health, a local funeral parlour has been identified as the culprit illegally dumping empty body bags at a site in Empangeni.

The ZO last week reported that local resident, Fred Lubbe, had made a disturbing discovery of empty body bags on a farm road near his home.

Lubbe told the ZO that he had on two separate occasions seen a number of body bags dumped at a certain area among bush and sugar cane.

On two of the body bags labels were attached, which clearly indicated the names of the deceased.

One label indicated that a woman had been to Ngwelezana Hospital, while another, presumably an infant, belonged to the Lower Umfolozi War Memorial Hospital (LUWMH).

ALSO READ: Body bag dump site uncovered in Empangeni

Culprits identified

KCDM DoH immediately distanced itself from the incident, noting that that their hospitals are contacted to a reputable disposal company.

Following the information, the ZO worked closely with the KCDM who quickly found that Zisize Funeral Services were responsible.

‘An investigation conducted by KCDM Environmental Health Services Unit established that Ngwelezana and LUWMH hospitals handed over the corpses to Zisize Funeral Services,’ said Acting Municipal Manager, Ms TF Mnguni.

Mnguni said Health Care Risk Waste (medical waste) should be disposed of by a registered waste disposal company such as Compass Waste Services) contracted to the KCDM.

‘Land pollution and an inherent risk of transmission of communicable diseases such as Hepatitis A and B are factors that could pose a risk to people and the environment,’ Mnguni said.

Zisize Funeral Services owner DS Ngubane openly spoke to the ZO about the incident.‘I wasn’t here during the period in question. I know that it was one of my employees, but when I questioned they denied any knowledge of the matter..

‘I feel that it’s better if I get an entirely new team because I can’t have employees working for my company, committing such deeds,’ he said.

Zisize Funeral Services last week collected the empty body bags from the site, which were then collected up by Compass Waste Services.

According to the KCDM, Zisize Funeral Services will be served with a Notice of Intention to revoke their Certificate of Competence.

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