Body bribers brought to book

FOUR staff members at Hlabisa Hospital have been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into chilling claims that mortuary employees were pocketing thousands of rands per week in exchange for corpses.

The Zululand Observer first exposed the lucrative business operation in October last year, detailing how funeral parlours purportedly paid between R400 and R500 per cadaver to agents employed by mortuary staff.
Forking out the ‘commission’ was reportedly the only way for funeral parlours to stay afloat and ensure there was a constant intake of bodies from the district hospital.

On Wednesday, Hlabisa District Hospital Public Relations Officer Themba Shange confirmed the probe into allegations was underway.
‘The matter is being handled by the KZN Department of Health in conjunction with the hospital. Hearings have been scheduled and the department will make a final statement once this process is complete.
Four staff members have been suspended in the interim to allow the investigation to take place without interference,’ said Shange.
Angering parliamentarians in Cape Town in November 2013, IFP Member of Parliament Hilda Msweli called on KZN MEC for Health Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo to launch an extended investigation into all public hospitals to ‘ensure any sale of corpses was halted’.

‘These funeral parlours are dependent on the hospital for sustainability and are being forced to pay these officials to survive. Anyone involved must be dismissed and face charges. We welcome the decision by the department to probe the allegations at Hlabisa Hospital,’ said Msweli on Wednesday.

A local funeral parlour told the Zululand Observer last year the corrupt practice was ‘killing their businesses’.
‘If I don’t pay this commission, I don’t get a body,’ said the source, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation.
‘In one week, we had to pay R5 000 just to secure bodies. When I told them I would no longer be paying this commission they told me their ‘fridges were empty’. This corrupt practice is bleeding our coffers. We cannot continue like this.’

The 296-bed district hospital is located within the uMkhanyakude District and serves communities in the Hlabisa, Mtubatuba and some portions of the Big Five Municipalities.

11 NOVEMBER 2014

Demand for ‘sale’ of corpses probe

WHILE the KZN Department of Health remains mum over startling claims that mortuary staff at Hlabisa Hospital are pocketing a fortune in exchange for corpses – as revealed in the Zululand Observer – has angered parliamentarians in Cape Town.

IFP Member of Parliament (MP) Hilda Msweli has called upon KZN MEC for Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, to urgently investigate the startling allegations that local funeral parlours servicing the local government hospital are forced to pay a ‘commission’ to secure bodies.

The Zululand Observer unearthed the scandal last month, detailing how funeral parlours reportedly paid between R400 and R500 per cadaver to agents employed by the mortuary staff.

This week, in an exclusive interview with the Zululand Observer, Msweli questioned why the KZN Department of Health had not responded to the claims.

‘Funeral parlours claim that if they do not pay the commission to the hospital officials, they are not given any corpses,’ said Msweli.

‘These funeral parlours are dependent on the hospital for sustainability. The IFP calls on the KZN Health MEC to urgently launch an investigation into this matter and anyone involved must be dismissed and face charges.’

The parliamentarian also called on the Minister of Health to investigate all public hospitals to ‘ensure that any sale of corpses is halted’.

Funeral parlour

Choosing to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, a local funeral parlour said they were forced to pay R5 000 in one week just to secure bodies.

‘We are still not receiving bodies from the hospital because I refused to pay this amount,’ said the source on Friday.

The KZN Department of Health, who are aware of the allegations, have still not responded to a list of questions submitted by the Zululand Observer last month.

However, Hlabisa District Hospital Public Relations Officer, Themba Shange, confirmed that the hospital management had met with the respective complainants relating to allegations of corruption at the mortuary.

‘The hospital is conducting an internal investigation into the matter. Once this is done, a full report will be forwarded to the KZN Department of Health and then only can the findings be made public,’ said Shange.

25 OCTOBER 2013

Bribes for bodies

STARTLING allegations of corruption have surfaced from the icy fridges of Hlabisa District Hospital’s mortuary, with officials reportedly pocketing thousands of rands each week in exchange for ‘dead bodies’.

Sources have told the Zululand Observer of a lucrative business operation which reportedly sees local funeral parlours servicing the government hospital having to pay a ‘commission’ to secure a body a day.

Ranging between R400 and R500 per body, the funeral parlours allegedly pay the bribes to agents employed by the mortuary staff.

‘Corruption is killing my business,’ said a local funeral parlour owner.

‘If I don’t pay this commission, I don’t get a cadaver. In one week, we had to pay R5 000 just to secure bodies. When I told them I would no longer be paying this commission they told me their (mortuary) fridges were empty.

‘For the past week, I have received no bodies from the hospital because I refused to pay this amount. Instead, the bodies are given to other funeral parlours. How can their fridges be empty when the hospital on average has 10 deaths per day?’

Choosing to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, the source said local businesses were dependent on the district hospital for survival.

Hlabisa District Hospital Public Relations Officer, Themba Shange, said the hospital had received a call from a complainant requesting a meeting to highlight certain allegations of corruptions at the mortuary.

‘We have scheduled a meeting with the complainant for Thursday (today). Once we have conducted this meeting, the hospital will conduct an internal investigation into the matter. ‘Once this is done, a full report will be forwarded to the KZN Department of Health. Then only will we know whether there is any truth to the allegations,’ said Shange.

The KZN Department of Health was unable to respond to a list of questions by the Zululand Observer at the time of going to print.

The 296-bed district hospital is located within the uMkhanyakude District and serves communities in the Hlabisa, Mtubatuba and some portions of the Big Five municipalities.