THABO LESHILO
Johannesbrug - The South African government has put in place a comprehensive multi-million rand military precision-style operation to bring home the remains of the South Africans.
The Sunday Independent has established that the government anticipates the remains would be brought back on November 2.
This follows weeks-long delays which, in diplomatic circles, have been blamed on “the pride of the Nigerians”, as well as domestic political issues, brought about by the forthcoming elections.
Officials of the two countries have spent the past two weeks completing a process of identifying the dead, using advanced DNA technology.
Sources told The Sunday Independent that this process was, however, done twice after the Nigerian government insisted on conducting their own.
“The Nigerians insisted on their own DNA process. They hired a South African consultant, and used the same firm – from Stellenbosch – that was used by the South African government,” said one highly-placed source.
This week, the government is expected to roll out its extensive plan to bring deceased citizens home. A massive military aircraft, believed to be a C130 with capacity to carry all the bodies – is on standby to fly to Lagos. Also ready are 84 special coffins.
“An advance team is already in Lagos to facilitate the repatriation of the bodies. Medical personnel will fly with the bodies.”
Families have been advised to break away from tradition and not view the bodies as many of them are not in a good state.
The plane will land at the Waterkloof Airport where an elaborate welcome ceremony, led by President Jacob Zuma, will unfold.
The president will welcome the citizens home and address the nation.
“The bodies will be taken to the Steve Biko Hospital before being released to the families,” said another source.
The Sunday Independent has also established that the government has hired three hotels in Pretoria to accommodate the bereaved families.
Each family has, for the past six weeks, had a social worker assigned to it for counselling and other required services.
Two families turned down the offer from the Department of Social Services to assist.
The government has also lined up 84 mortuary vans to transport the bodies to Mpumalanga, where most of the deceased came from, as well as the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and other parts of Gauteng.
A top government official said: “The state has gone out of its way to assist these people. Normally, government doesn’t bring back the remains of people who die while travelling. It is the family’s responsibility to do so.
“However, because of the magnitude of this tragedy, government suspended this policy.”
Sunday Independent