More of the same in mortuary saga

I FIND it difficult to believe that Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane survived the KwaZuluNatal executive council reshuffle occasioned by the toppling of the Sihle Zikalala faction at the recent ANC conference.

Simelane has presided, and continues to do so, over the shambles that is the Phoenix mortuary and general state of forensic pathology in KZN.

Health issues are always serious, but the handling and treatment of the dead is another matter altogether.

Aside from the disrespect to the corpses, left to decompose on floors, the situation compounds the trauma of the bereaved, who are unable to move on, with the first step in the grieving process, the funeral, being delayed. The fact that Simelane was returned to her position shows what we can expect from the province’s new leadership: more of the same.

Some good news comes in the arrests and court appearance of 22 of those suspected to be behind the looting and unrest in July last year.

We were told soon after the violence that the instigators were known, but it has taken more than a year for the police to get their ducks in a row.

The failure of police intelligence to anticipate the violence is exacerbated by the delay in bringing the accused masterminds to book.

Now comes the interminable wait for the court process to wend its way to what we hope will be a conclusion which metes out appropriate justice for the trauma visited on the nation.