Durban - A Durban family is seeking answers after the Phoenix Medico-Legal Mortuary released the body of their loved one, which was allegedly in a state of decomposition.
Collin Govender, 44, from Parkgate in Verulam, was found dead in his home last Monday evening.
Govender’s sister, Esther Sewchurran, said: “A friend found him. When my sister and I were told what had happened, we went to Collin’s home. He was lying between his bed and a table. His hat was on the floor and it had some blood.
“His body looked normal. There was no smell. When the police arrived, they told us to call the Phoenix Mortuary, which we did. They arrived within an hour to fetch Collin.”
Sewchurran said a neighbour told her that Govender was seen the previous day walking to a nearby tuckshop.
“Last Tuesday, I called Pinetown Funeral Services to make arrangements for the funeral. We planned to have the funeral on Saturday. Funeral notices were sent out. We intended to have a church service and bury him in a family plot.
“However, since last Tuesday no one could give us answers as to when the post-mortem would be done. We went back and forth to the mortuary trying to get the body released. Last Friday, we spent the entire day waiting outside their premises.
"It was terrible to wait in the vicinity of the mortuary because of the bad smell. We were eventually told to return on Saturday morning. His death was finally ruled as natural causes."
She said when she arrived at the mortuary with her sister on Saturday, they were told to identify Govender’s body.
“When we looked at him, we were left in shock. His face was black. There was a rotten smell emanating from his body. On the side of his face, I could see a substance coming out. We began to cry when we saw him. We knew his body was not refrigerated.”
Sewchurran said they then questioned the staff.
“One person told us the fridges were working but were overloaded with bodies and they could not accommodate any other bodies.”
She said the family informed the funeral parlour about what had happened and they were advised to conduct the funeral as soon as possible.
“We had to have the funeral on Sunday morning. There was no time to take his body to the church. We had to have a cremation and the coffin had to be sealed. It was painful because the funeral was rushed.
“It is a traumatising experience. My brother was disabled after an accident. He had a prosthetic leg. He never deserved this type of treatment because he was a wonderful person. I would never wish this upon my worst enemy.
“The Department of Health needs to treat this issue seriously. Losing a loved one is difficult for a family and these incidents add to the trauma.”
She said they had been trying to get answers from the management of the mortuary.
“My sister went to the mortuary again on Tuesday (yesterday). The manager of the mortuary said she would investigate the matter.”
Recently, images of bodies at the mortuary piled on the floor were leaked to the media.
Some of the mortuary staff had complained that bodies were piling up as a result of the nationwide backlog of DNA testing and forensic service.
Staff said there were bodies of victims from the unrest in July last year and the floods from April that had still not been claimed.
They also said there were not enough fridges to store the bodies, resulting in them decomposing.
In addition, drains at the mortuary were blocked and staff did not have enough protective gear like masks and gloves to work.
Last week, Ntokozo Maphisa, the provincial spokesperson for the Department of Health, told POST that they were aware of certain challenges pertaining to the functioning of the mortuary but denied the mortuary was full.
The Post