Urgent plea from KZN Health committee: Report missing persons as 900 bodies remain unclaimed in state mortuaries
The KwaZulu-Natal Health Portfolio committee has urged residents to report missing persons as there are hundreds of unclaimed bodies at state mortuaries.
Dr Imran Keeka, chairperson of the portfolio committee in the KZN Legislature said in a statement on Sunday that the committee members been on oversight visits to mortuaries in the province and found that there were several unclaimed bodies.
“At this stage, there are approximately 900 bodies still in our facilities, some going as far back as 2017. We repeat our call and encourage families to report their missing family members to the SAPS.
“This will significantly assist in reducing the growing backlog of unidentified bodies at state mortuaries and may work towards families finding closure.”
Keeka explained that the South African Police Service works closely with state mortuaries who keep unidentified deceased persons until the police can trace their families.
“We noted that this should not be the case and the existing policies allow for burials within 21 days dependent on the availability of burial sites and funding.”
He added that the committee is also concerned about the increasing lack of space at state forensic facilities because of the unclaimed bodies still kept in those facilities.
“This places an immense strain on the current services,” he said.
In June, it was reported that Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi had said that there were a total of 3,819 pauper burials between April 2024 and April 2025.
In response to a parliamentary question he also said Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape had made progress in the management of unclaimed bodies.