Durban — A Pietermaritzburg family said their Muslim burial practices are being infringed upon because of a backlog at the Park Rynie Forensic Mortuary.
Nazeera Ramouthar, 52, drowned while on holiday with her family, south of Inyoni Rocks in Amanzimtoti on Monday. While on the shoreline a freak wave swept her grandson and her into the water. According to Muslim burial practices a deceased should be buried within 24 to 48 hours after death.
Now the Ramouthar family are facing a battle to have her body released. It is alleged that the Park Rynie Mortuary has a backlog of post-mortems because of an alleged staff go-slow that began at the beginning of September 2023. It is alleged that the staff were not paid overtime salary for a year. It is alleged that staff are disgruntled over salary issues.
It is alleged that approximately 30 to 40 bodies were waiting for post-mortems to be completed at the Park Rynie Forensic Mortuary on Wednesday.
Omar Ramouthar, the husband, said his three-year-old grandchild was playing on the beach sand some distance from the shoreline. His wife was seated on a bench.
“She was not swimming, she was far away on the beach when a freak wave swept the baby into the water. She ran after the baby, pushed the baby to safety and drowned,” he said.
Ramouthar who was emotionally distraught when contacted on Wednesday said he had to travel to the mortuary on several occasions only to be told that the post-mortem was not done.
“Travelling is tiring me even more. Doctors are coming to the mortuary but I was told there is a backlog. There are other excuses as well. I do not know what is going on and there is no clear line of communication. They even drop the call on you. That is why I have to drive all the way from Pietermaritzburg,” he said.
Ramouthar said the incident happened in front of the family and it has left them in shock. Ramouthar was also weighing his options on what action to take on the way lifeguards at the beach handled the situation.
Ward Councillor Andre Beetge said she was able to rescue and hand the child to the father before she herself was swept in deeper. Beetge said lifeguards at the adjacent Amanzimtoti main bathing beach were alerted from where they rushed to the non-bathing beach and into the surf.
“The female was rescued and brought back to the beach where she was conscious and laid on her side in the recovery position. The senior lifeguard on duty also responded after securing the medical kit from the main beach. Lifeguards were joined by a private paramedic while oxygen was administered. The woman lost consciousness where after CPR was applied by emergency personnel who were also joined by Netcare 911. Their efforts were however unsuccessful,” Beetge said.
ActionSA Councillor Ahmed Paruk said the mortuary situation was unacceptable.
“We cannot allow grieving families to be treated in this manner. We hope proper consultation had taken place. The solution is to pay overtime and what is due to the staff and get additional pathologists to assist. ActionSA will be writing to the minister of health in the province calling for a probe into all mortuaries and if there are go-slows and backlogs,” Paruk said.
Spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health Ntokozo Maphisa said the department was aware of the slightly increased number of bodies that are received by the institution in question, which results in employees having to do extended overtime.
Maphisa said the department is currently working on resolving the delay in the payment of extended overtime, which is subject to processes.
“These processes are beyond our control as it has to be approved outside the jurisdiction of the department. The affected staff members are being continuously engaged and updated on all pertinent matters in this regard,” Maphisa said.
Regarding the completion of outstanding post-mortems, Maphisa said, the department is working on an internal contingency plan in order to ensure that families who have lost their loved ones are able to bury them without delay.
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