The Department of Employment and Labour has shut down another state-run mortuary in the Free State over unsafe and unhygienic working conditions. This week labour department inspectors visited the Forensic Pathology Service in Phuthaditjhaba where they found a series of occupational health and safety violations including broken fridges and blocked sewage.
The government mortuary in Bloemfontein was closed in October 2024 after similar working conditions were found. These included water leakages that posed a risk of electrocution and inadequate ventilation in the post-mortem room. The facility was reopened briefly in January before it was shut down again. It was, once again, reopened in early May.
Whistleblowers
A labour department inspector who requested his name to be withheld says workers blew the whistle.
“Private mortuaries have been accused of keeping rotten bodies but when we inspect them we found their facilities working well. This prompted us to visit this [government mortuary in Phuthaditjhaba], where we found that workers are forced to work in conditions which are not alright,” he says.
According to a worker who alerted the authorities but asks to remain anonymous, the blocked pipes have been causing a stink in and around the mortuary.
“With the fridges not working, imagine the odour inside the facility where we have to work. The tools we need are not working so we are not able to do proper autopsies,” he adds.
Delays in burials
The closure is worrying many families who were hoping to get their loved ones’ bodies this week. Among the grieving families, there’s the Nhlapo family who are waiting for the autopsy of their murdered son’s body.
Father of the deceased, Mzwakhe Nhlapo of Mangaung, says it’s been two weeks of silence.
“We are waiting to hear from the mortuary. They told us to wait for a call on Wednesday morning, but on Tuesday they called us to let us know that the body of my son has been taken to Bethlehem,” Nhlapo says.
He adds that the delay in releasing his son’s body is causing the family more pain.
“You can imagine your son being butchered by criminals and when you have to bury him you’re told the autopsy hasn’t been done and the mortuary is closed because fridges are not working. I’m told this is not the first and only mortuary experiencing these, I only need them to release my son’s body so I can bury him,” he adds.
The closure of the facility has also angered funeral parlour owners.
Sello Mokwena of Mokwena Funeral Directors says they are supposed to travel 140 kilometres to Bethlehem for autopsies.
“Our government is not doing its job. They knew about the conditions of the facility but ignored them. Our black people are failing to do their duties in government,” he says.
Health department not compliant
Provincial Chief Inspector of Employment and Labour, Luxande Manelisi says the facility will remain closed “until the Department of Health adequately implements corrective measures to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) findings determined by the inspectors.”
“We don’t just close down a facility, we do that after ensuring that the facility has violated the OHS act. We cannot look away if we find that employees and the public’s health and safety are at risk.”
Free State Health Department spokesperson Mondli Mvambi says “the MEC of Health in the Free State Province Mr Viceroy Mahlatsi has instructed the head of department to attend to the challenges mentioned by the Labour department and we will announce in due course.”
Although the facility in Bloemfontein is now operational, families still wait weeks or months for the bodies of their loved ones.
The family of Bulelwani Madasi who died in an accident on 14 May say they’ve been waiting for the autopsy for two weeks.
“They tell us about the backlog at the state mortuary. We haven’t seen her body ever since we heard about the accident. It looks like we will have to wait for a month,” Sisipho Madasi tells Health-e News.
Mvambi says: “Forensic pathologists at all facilities are trying all they can to do their work and provide needed autopsies and release the bodies. We plead with families to be patient.” – Health-e News
