By Staff Writer
A man’s body was left in his bed for nearly four days because of a mix-up between forensic pathology services and the family’s private undertaker.
According to the Eastern Cape health department, the 25-year-old man died of natural causes at his Missionvale home in Gqeberha on Friday.
Health spokesperson Mkhululi Ndamase said that the forensic pathology services were called to the home shortly after the man’s death. When the forensic team arrived, they contacted the deceased man’s sister.
“The sister informed the crew that they had a private undertaker who would collect the body,” Ndamase explained.
“One of our crew members also called the private undertaker and explained the situation.”
An employee at Shweme & Shweme Funeral Parlour confirmed that their undertakers went to the scene but left after being told that the forensics team would take care of the body.
“We didn’t receive any forms allowing us to take the body on Friday; we were told that forensics would handle it,” they said.
However, the body was not collected until Monday afternoon.
Johan Rousseau, chair of the Funeral Industry Reformed Association, said they are investigating the incident.
“An ambulance [crew] should issue a declaration of death before the body can be removed,” he said.
“Forensic health cannot remove the deceased if the death was from natural causes.”
Rousseau said a decomposed body can pose serious health risks, especially if the death was due to a contagious airborne disease.
The deceased man’s family could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
Pictured above: An Eastern Cape forensic pathology service vehicle.
Source: X
