Nehawu: Unclaimed bodies at KZN mortuaries for over 5 years
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) in KZN says there has been some improvement in reducing the number of unclaimed bodies in the province's mortuaries.
The union says about 100 bodies have now been buried after it raised the matter with KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane in August.
It says the number of unclaimed bodies is still concerning, especially in Fort Napier in Pietermaritzburg.
The union's Mazwi Ngubane says some bodies have been in mortuaries for over five years.
"it poses a serious health hazard to the workers, especially because the cause of death for all these bodies is unnatural. One cannot tell if these bodies are contagious. If so, then it will be definitely contagious after death, and there are cases that require tests before determining the cause of death.
"By the time they get results, the workers would have suffered due to the prolonged period in contaminated spaces. In Fort Napier Mortuary, you can smell the odour of decomposed corpse from the main entrance, and it shows that there are people who are not doing their jobs."
He says police are also dragging their feet in some cases.
"The SAPS officials are also now immune from this since they are also delaying the process with their unreasonable prolonged investigations."
