The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has raised concerns following reports from the community that bodies are not being swiftly released from Cape Town mortuaries in time for the customary 24-hr burial procedure in Islam.
A number of families in Cape Town are waiting anxiously for the bodies of deceased, due to delays in finalizing post mortems.
The Western Cape Health Department’s Forensic Pathology Services (FPS) in the Metropole confirmed that it is currently experiencing a very high case load.
“We are in contact with the relevant authorities to try and rectify the situation,” said the chairperson of the Muslim Cemetery Board, Shaykh Riad Fataar.
In a statement, the Forensic Pathology Services said it is currently experiencing very high caseload admission and urged the public to remain patient.
You will need the Identification Document or Driver’s license of the deceased as well as your own, the identifying individual.
If your own documentation or that of the deceased is lost or stolen, go to your SAPS investigating officer who must accompany you to the facility to confirm the identity for both yourself as well as the deceased.
In cases of sudden or unexpected death, you should bring all medical documentation/information regarding the deceased.
If the deceased is a baby or a child or under the age of 18, you should also bring the Road to Health Chart (clinic card) of the child/baby with you.
The department said it recognized that the time of bereavement is a stressful and difficult period.
“For this reason, we are doing everything we can to speed up but also streamline the process”.