‘Muslim bodies a priority’
Even so, the current average period for the release of bodies is six to seven days.
Western Cape Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo will now be escalating the ongoing issues at city morgues to the provincial cabinet to secure additional resources so bodies can be released quicker.
This follows a long meeting with the MJC on Monday to discuss the concerns around Muslim bodies not being released within the customary 24-hour period.
Last week the family of Manenberg mom, Malieka Davids, who died in a gang shooting, raised the alarm after they waited a week for her body to be released.
The department said the backlog at morgues was due to a spike in gang murders, and it would now be releasing bodies on a first come first serve basis.
“The MJC requested the department rescind its decision to chronologically work through its case load and give priority to Muslim bodies. But the department said it is plagued by a heavy case load, is understaffed and under-resourced and cannot commit to a date when further Muslim bodies will be released.
"Mbombo assured the MJC that the matter will be raised at provincial legislature on Wednesday to request assistance with increasing staff and equipment at the province’s mortuaries,” said Shaykh Riad Fataar, MJC chairman of the Muslim Cemetery Board.
At Salt River morgue there was a backlog of 100 bodies.
Fataar blames poor planning and under-resourcing at morgues for the backlog.
“The Western Cape has been persistently labelled as one of the most violent provinces in the world and yet provincial government remained under-resourced. Alternative solutions must be sought.
"The timeous release of post-mortem examinations of Muslims is an unwritten policy spanning decades. Expedient burial is not a custom in Islam but rather a well-founded religious practice. Delaying the burial is painful to the family and dishonours the deceased.”
Health department spokesperson, Mark van der Heever, says the prioritisation of Muslim bodies has always been balanced with the
prioritisation for legal and clinical matters.
“The essential mandate of Forensic Pathology Services (FPS) is to conduct medico-legal investigation into unnatural deaths, in support of the justice system. The quality of this investigation forms the basis of the medico-legal investigation and needs to be intact and stand up to scrutiny. The right to justice and a proper investigation are rights afforded to all citizens, and prioritisation needs to be weighed with this in mind.”
Meanwhile, a message doing the rounds on social media has given Cape Muslims the false impression that there is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) post-mortem facility they could use to speed up the process.
According to the message, families can request a MRI scan rather than the traditional surgical type of post-mortem.
However, the MJC confirms the facility referred to is based in London and there is no such facility locally.
“We will have to investigate the procedures and costings with those organisations in London and see if it would be viable for us,” adds Fataar.