Khuma resident George Dube made the dreaded trip to the Klerksdorp Hospital’s mortuary in search of his brother, who was among scores of men working as zama-zamas at the Buffelsfontein gold mine in North West province.
But bad news awaited him. More than a week since police retrieved 78 dead bodies from the depths of the earth at the abandoned mine, desperate family members like Dube, who are searching for their loved ones, are distraught that authorities have not allowed them to identify their loved ones.
Dube, 28, said police officers at the mortuary turned him away, saying that family members needed to make an appointment at the Stilfontein Police Station to be allowed to identify a loved one.
Dube told Sunday World on the sidelines of a community meeting that took place on Thursday at Khuma Ground in Ext 6 that his brother Fred went underground shaft 11 of the disused Buffelsfontein gold mine in August last year and did not come out since.
“Last week Friday after the rescue operation concluded, I went to the Klerksdorp Hospital mortuary to look for my brother. I found the police there and told them I was looking for my brother. They told me I should go to the police station to make an appointment to be allowed to identify my brother’s body,” said Dube.
“I went to the police station, and I was told to wait for post-mortems to be concluded first. This booking of appointments and waiting for post-mortems is frustrating,” said Dube.
Another resident, Thandeka Tom, said she could not find her brother in all the holding cells at Stilfontein Police Station or among the miners hospitalised when she went to the Klerksdorp and Tshepong hospitals. She said when she wanted to go to the mortuaries of these
hospitals, police officers told her that families should come in groups to identify their loved ones and not individually.
“I do not know where my brother is. It has not been an easy time for us as a family. We just want to find him and get closure as a family. My 36-year-old brother went underground. He is a breadwinner at his home, and supports his wife and two children,” said Tom.
Caroline Nkotjo, 55, said a Lesotho national she referred to as Gideon went underground in October last year and did not come out since. Nkotjo said Gideon lived in her house. Nkotjo said she did not check for Gideon in hospitals and holding cells in Stilfontein because of the unsuccessful trips of other community members.
North West Health Department spokesperson Tshegofatso Mothibedi said this week had been set out for autopsies, the conclusion of documentation (verifiable ones), collection of samples and all other pathological work.
“Upon conclusion of this important work, by the end of next week, we will then reach out to families, arrested workers, the community of Stilfontein and our social mobilisers who are already on the ground to identify families. They can come forward when this process is concluded.
“For now, all families, relatives, and friends have been requested to wait so that we are able to complete pathological work on these bodies. We wish to caution people not to try to conduct this important task in haste, to avoid confusion as some of these bodies are in an advanced mortified state,” said Mothibedi.
Mothibedi said the 78 dead bodies of the illegal miners are kept at the Brits and Klerksdorp Forensic Pathology Services. Mothibedi said it will take 14 days (from January 23) for the post-mortems to be concluded.
