Body mix up leads to Eastern Cape family burying a stranger
As the death toll rises due to Covid-19, so is the confusion regarding burials. The Department of Health from Eastern Cape is one of the recent perpetrators despite denying all allegations. The Stishi family ends up burying a stranger (Mdyongolo Sonjica) instead of Ntshoko Stishi aged 98.
The mix-up of the two men both aged 98 occurs at the SS Gida Provincial Hospital. Without proper verification or family identification, a body was moved resulting in a bungle. The Stishi family ends up burying the wrong person due to the hospital’s negligence.
Body mix up leads to Eastern Cape family burying a stranger
The health division spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo blames the incident on the family members and denies responsibility.
“We are saying this on the idea that the first funeral parlour that went to gather the body was accompanied by a family member who was alleged to have recognized their cherished one. That is the place the downside occurred. But upon realizing that another family had been given a fallacious body, the hospital instantly contacted the funeral parlourin query. However, they’d already buried the body,” he says.
“We then facilitated the exhumation of the body; happily, the body was nonetheless in a very good situation and was subsequently handed over to [the family]. We don’t take accountability. We have prolonged our apology to the family that has been affected by the mix-up,” Kupelo adds.
This however is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. At one time News24 reports on a Uitenhange family which buries a stranger in June 2020 after being given the wrong body. Nomsa Noda aged 67, a retired nurse at the hospital where her husband dies is denied body viewing due to Covid-19 regulations. This sees the family burying a stranger instead of Vukile aged 79.
Body mix up leads to Eastern Cape family burying a stranger
The subsequent month, a family from East London also buries a stranger instead of Nomawethu Mbishi aged 56. Mncebisi Dyonase, her niece is also given over the body without proper verification. Just a few days later a similar incident occurred and Avbob admits to the mix-up in turn offering an apology.
In yet another incident, the Mdantsane family from East London is informed three hours before the burial of their relative, Lindiwe Landu that she had been buried somewhere. This came as a shock as they were in possession of a body which turned out to be a stranger.
Body mix up leads to Eastern Cape family burying a stranger