The family of a man whose body was found burnt at a North West hospital say they never thought they would still be waiting to bury his remains 15 years later.
Boetinyana Steven Makinye, 44, pictured , was admitted to Thusong Hospital near Lichtenburg when he went missing in April 2001.
He had been complaining about chest pains.
According to the Springbokpan family, the hospital told them that he went missing three days after he was admitted. However, a week later the hospital handed over his clothes to his family and said he had been discharged.
Makinye's family opened a missing person case at the Itsoeseng police station. Five months later, police officers came to ask them to go and identify a burnt body that was found on the hospital premises.
Makinye's burnt body was found by a cleaner behind the hospital building in September 2001.
His family was told that his body was burnt while the cleaners were burning overgrown grass in the yard.
Makinye's sister, Annah Meye, said police showed her a shoe that belonged to Mak inye. "I told them [police] that the shoe belonged to my brother. The shoe had a piece of flesh inside," she said.
Meye said the hospital then took her brother's remains for DNA testing in Vryburg.
She was later told that the pathologist could not confirm the results as the body was badly charred.
"I want to know why they could not use the piece of his flesh that I saw inside his shoe if the bones were badly burnt. I also want to know why they did not believe me when I told them that the shoe belonged to my brother," she said.
Meye said she was then told by the hospital that they were taking the bones to a bigger laboratory in Pretoria for further testing.
The family never heard from them again.
The family's hopes were raised last week after they heard from a local radio station that Makinye's remains would be released to them.
The family even started preparing for his burial.
They last saw the body when it had just been found 15 years ago.
Makinye was working as a mechanic in Lichtenburg. His daughter Kgomotso Molopyane said he was the sole bread winner who made sure that they attended school. "We used to get most of the things we needed as children, he was really taking care of us," she said.
Molopyane said her father's pension fund had not been released because the owner of the workshop wanted them to produce a death certificate.
The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa's attorney Kathleen Hardy said the family could have a case against the department of health but first needed to demand a full investigation as to what happened.
"It looks like it was an unnatural death. The investigation should give an indication as to where the negligence lies, then the family will have options on what steps to take," she said.
Hardy said it was strange for a person to just disappear and then suddenly the body being found within the hospital premises
tshehleb@sowetan.co.za
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