ANA reports that KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Health member of the executive council (MEC), Sibongiseni Dhlomo, on Tuesday himself performed two autopsies at the Fort Napier Medico-Legal Mortuary in Pietermaritzburg.  

This was after forensic pathology services ground to a halt when staff went on a go-slow, severely affecting several families’ funeral plans.  Mortuary workers protesting “unbearable” working conditions embarked on a go-slow on Friday.  They accused the health department of ignoring their grievances for more than three years, which included broken air-conditioners, broken toilets, old uniforms and lack of cleaning equipment.  Dhlomo, who holds a diploma in forensic pathology, confirmed that there was a backlog of more than 26 bodies waiting for autopsies in the government morgue as the staff said they would only perform a maximum of two bodies per day until the department gave in to their demands.  Normally, the mortuary performs between 10 and 12 autopsies per day.  While the department implements its contingency measures to speed up the completion of autopsies, Dhlomo has instructed the department’s legal unit to obtain a court interdict to force the employees to either return to optimal performance or face expulsion in terms of labour relations legislation which governs essential services.

• Read the full original report at The Citizen

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