The North West health department on Thursday said it planned to exhume bodies as it tries to locate the remains of a man who was seemingly mistakenly given a pauper's burial.
Gontse Raseale was found dead in a veld in Mogwase, Rustenburg, in September 2021.
Raseale’s family was traced by authorities in May and the 37-year-old was positively identified.
But as the family prepared for his burial, his body disappeared from the Brits mortuary, with the health department unable to explain where it is.
Department spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane said the delays, as the family waited for action, were caused by a prolonged application for the exhumation.
“Only unidentified bodies buried within a period linked to the disappearance of the body will be exhumed. The family will identify the next of kin for DNA testing which is a reliable test if other means do not work,” he said.
Speaking to TimesLIVE, Raseale's brother Thabo said: “We had no idea last year that he was dead.
“Gontse was the type of person who was hard to get hold of because he changed his number often. He [would] usually call us on Christmas, but when he didn’t call last year we assumed he was out having a good time.”
When the family were eventually traced by authorities, Thabo took time off work to identify the body at Phokeng mortuary.
He found his brother in the first fridge he was shown.
“I recognised him by his Mohawk and dreadlocks. He also wore a ring I gave him. It represented our brotherhood because we were so close. I also recognised his bag and the contents in his bag which included a [welding] glove he used as he worked with electricity.”
After Raseale was identified, his body was transferred to Brits mortuary when the Phokeng mortuary closed in October 2021.
Thabo said the family hosted guests and mourners for three weeks while waiting for Raseale’s body to be traced.
The family had to give DNA samples to compare with four unidentified bodies but the results came back negative.
The department has since conceded that Raseale was possibly buried among paupers during that period.
He [would] usually call us on Christmas but when he didn’t call last year we assumed he was out having a good time.
— Thabo Raseale
The department implied they were not entirely to blame. Lekgethwane said the family took time to come forward to identify the body.
Thabo described his brother as a funny, caring and helpful man.
“We were very close. Even that ring he wore, it represents our brotherhood. He loved it. He promised me that regardless of where he is, he will always wear it. And when I saw the body, I saw that ring on his finger. To me, he was like my twin. We were only two years apart and we once lived together for three years,” said Thabo.
Forum 4 Service Delivery PR councillor Mokgadi Moetji said: “We sympathise with the Raseale family and hope the body of their loved one is found so they can find closure.”
TimesLIVE
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