DA slams Gauteng health department over dead bodies ‘left in limbo due to missing printer cartridges'
The DA alleges families were unable to bury loved ones as post-mortems and death certificates could not be processed.
The health department confirms a printer issue but says contingency plans resolved the matter.
DA's Madeleine Hicklin blames MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko and says the system is failing both the living and the dead.
The DA in Gauteng has alleged that bodies of patients who died at Johannesburg's Helen Joseph Hospital over the past 13 days cannot be transferred to government mortuaries due to a shortage of printer cartridges needed to produce the required documentation.
The party released a statement on Monday, demanding Gauteng MEC for Health Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko ensure that the hospital is stocked with adequate cartridges and resources so that burials are not interrupted or delayed, thereby avoiding unnecessary pain, frustration and trauma for the families of the deceased.
This is despite the Gauteng department of health dismissing what it refers to as misleading reports that suggest that the Helen Joseph Hospital mortuary currently has corpses left in limbo due to a shortage of printer cartridges.
The spokesperson for the department, Motalatale Modiba, said that, contrary to what he described as a sensationalised report, the facility's mortuary currently has only one body, that of a patient who was declared dead on arrival on Wednesday, 25 June, and was initially unidentified.
'The family of the deceased was eventually traced to KwaZulu-Natal, and they were notified accordingly,' he said.
This means that the body will now be handed over to the forensic team on Monday, 30 June, for processing, thereby enabling the family to collect it.
Motalatale Modiba
Modiba confirmed that while the facility did experience challenges related to printing services, challenges which impacted the turnaround time required to process cases at the hospital mortuary between 17 and 23 June 2025, facility management was able to activate contingency measures.
These measures resulted in five families, whose cases were pending, being successfully assisted on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, he explained.
'The issue with printing services arose due to delays in the processing of payments to two service providers,' he said, adding that the matter is currently receiving attention and is being addressed by the department's finance team.
Modiba further stated that the department would like to reiterate that there are currently no corpses at Helen Joseph Hospital that are outstanding or awaiting processing as a result of printing-related challenges.
However, Madeleine Hicklin, a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, maintains that her party received this alarming information from 'credible sources who are calling for immediate intervention'.
As a result of this administrative incompetence, since 17 June 2025, families have been unable to claim the bodies of their loved ones for burial, as post-mortems could not be conducted and death certificates could not be issued.
Madeleine Hicklin
'MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko must hang her head in shame,' she said.
She added that despite the MEC's proclamations that the Gauteng department of health is functioning well, the fact that the necessary paperwork for the deceased cannot be processed is proof that the department is irrevocably broken.
Hicklin also argued that this situation is further evidence that, under Panyaza Lesufi's administration, both the living and the dead are not being treated with dignity in Gauteng.
'Because the premier refuses to fire his MEC or even acknowledge her failures, the people of Gauteng are the ones who are left to suffer,' she said.
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CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Do you think healthcare companies are investing enough in their cybersecurity infrastructure? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover Follow Kurt on his social channels Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Print Close URL
