By Nhlanhla Mbatha
Johannesburg - Nokuthula Sithebe-Dlamini is adamant that she will never rest until she finds her uncle – dead or alive. Her uncle went missing from Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital eight years ago.
Sithebe-Dlamini, of Katlehong in Ekurhuleni, says her uncle, Themba Milton Sithebe, was admitted to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital on May 26, 2013.
That was the last time the family saw or heard of their then 67-year-old uncle, a former schoolteacher and a father of three.
After reportedly being sent from pillar to post by the hospital and the police, the family in 2018 made contact with the Office of the Public Protector.
Last week, the Office of the Public Protector made its findings and recommendations of remedial actions and the family are not happy.
“The Public Protector recommends disciplinary actions against certain people. And then what? Will that bring back the body of our uncle?” asked an obviously disappointed Sithebe-Dlamini.
“My uncle lived alone in Thembelihle informal settlement south of Johannesburg. When a neighbour informed us that our uncle was not well, we rushed him to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (Bara) and he was admitted. That was on May 26, 2013.”
As he was a person who lived a nomadic lifestyle, the family took a while to make contact with the uncle.
However, around 2015 and 2016, the family started to worry because they had not heard from or seen him.
They went to Thembelihle but found his home deserted.
“We enquired from the neighbours and were told they had not seen our uncle for a couple of years,” the niece said.
The family then decided to go back to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital to trace his steps.
“At first Bara told us they had no knowledge of our uncle. On our next visit they took his details and undertook to trace him. They came back empty handed and advised us to look for him at various old-age homes around Johannesburg. We did that but found nothing,” the niece said.
Sithebe-Dlamini, who refers to her uncle as her father because he raised her, told The Star a search for her uncle started in earnest when they discovered that he last collected his SA Social Security Agency grant in May 2013.
“We went back to Bara and were informed that our uncle died on May 28, 2013 – two days after admission,” the niece said, adding that attempts to solicit more details drew a blank.
“The hospital could not explain why the family were not informed of his passing. Worst of all, they could not tell us who buried him, and where.
“They could not furnish us with the death letter, nor with the names of the nursing sister who was supposed to inform us, and the doctor who certified our uncle dead,” Sithebe-Dlamini said.
She added that the hospital did not even have the details of the undertaker they claimed buried her uncle as a pauper.
“We were shocked when, after pressing them with more questions, the hospital told us to report the body of our uncle as missing with the police,” she said.
Instead, the family made a stop at the Department of Home Affairs, and were stunned that their uncle’s death was not recorded.
“According to the records with Home Affairs, our uncle is alive,” she said.
For the Sithebes, opening a case of a missing corpse with the police hit a dead end, as they “could not crack it”. The National Prosecuting Authority eventually closed the case, saying it lacked enough evidence.
Hospital files seen by The Star, and in possession of the Office of the Public Protector, reveal a litany of discrepancies, errors of omission and commission – all pointing to what seems to be a cover-up.
While it is not clear whether Sithebe is alive or dead, the family vow to fight on until the remains of their uncle are found and he is given a “proper and decent send off”. “That will give us closure,” Sithebe-Dlamini said.
The Star