BOTHO MOLOSANKWE
THE WOMAN whose daughter died in the waiting room of Helen Joseph Hospital, after allegedly being ignored for 24 days, will be able to bury her in the clothes she died in as her culture prescribes.
The hospital initially told Nqobile Dube they did not know where her daughter’s clothes were resulting in the postponement of the funeral. However, the hospital managed to find them and have since handed them to her.
According to Nqobile Dube, she went to the hospital to look for Sichelesile’s clothes as her culture dictates that she be buried in the clothes she died in.
However, she had to delay the burial after she was told the clothes could not be found.
Sichelesile, 26, died at the hospital last week a day after Dube had left her in the waiting room.
Dube said she was told at about 9pm to leave as Sichelesile would be soon admitted.
However, when she returned to the hospital the following day to check on her, she was dead in a wheelchair in the same spot she had left her the previous day.
Dube explained that Sichelesile’s mouth and eyes were open.
“I called her by her name and she was not responding. I tried moving her from the chair, but her body was tense, which to me was an indication she had been dead for a while.”
According to the Shadow MEC for Health in Gauteng Jack Bloom, Dube wanted to bury Sichelesile last week on Friday, but the hospital did not supply the clothes.
He said Dube could also not find her daughter’s belongings in a room that she was shown a pile of clothes.
“According to Dube, it would be disrespectful to her family and ancestors to bury her without these garments.
“It is unbelievable that the hospital continues to bungle this matter with gross insensitivity to the traumatised family,” Bloom said.
Motalatale Modiba, head of communication at the Gauteng Department of Health, confirmed to IOL Dube had finally been given her daughter’s clothes. However, he did not say where the clothes had been all along.
“The Helen Joseph Hospital management had a redress meeting with the mother and the clothes were handed over to her today (Wednesday).”
IOL