Johannesburg - The Gauteng Department of Health has denied that it has made the families of the Joburg building fire pay for its forensic services.
This comes after some family members of the 77 people who died following a fire that engulfed the Usindiso building in Marshalltown said they were forced to pay more than R700 for the release of the bodies of their loved ones.
The department said it does not charge for these services.
It urged family members asked to pay for the storage and release of their loved ones’ bodies at the Diepkloof Forensic Pathology Services (FPS) to report the matter to the police.
"The Gauteng FPS renders free services when it comes to the storage of bodies and when conducting post-mortems. Even the DNA samplesdrawn from the unidentifiable bodies of the tragic fire incident and the ante-mortem swabs from families are free and being done by the SAPS," said the department.
The spokesperson for the department, Motaletale Modiba, urged those who have been requested to pay to come forward.
"The Gauteng Health Department urges people who are being asked to pay for storage or the release of the deceased bodies at Diepkloof mortuary or any FPS facility to report these criminal acts to the SAPS so that the perpetrators can be brought to book," he said.
Last week, some families of the fire victimsclaimed they were charged R700 for the release of the bodies of their loved ones from the Diepkloof facility.
Speaking to “Newzroom Afrika” on Wednesday, a man claimed he went to the Department of Home Affairs and, later, the Diepkloof government mortuary to retrieve the body of his daughter, only to be told he needed to pay R700 to leave with the remains.
"I went to Home Affairs and the mortuary. When I arrived at the mortuary, they told me to pay R700. Where am I going to get the R700?
"I don’t have money. My 15-year-old daughter, who was studying Grade 10, died here, but they told me I must pay R700 at a government mortuary," he said.
However, this has been denied by the department.
"The department would like to put it on record that none of the families who have already collected their deceased loved ones from the Diepkloof mortuary were asked to pay any amount," Modiba said.
The Star