Government focused on repatriating 11 remaining bodies

Friday, November 28, 2014

Pretoria – Government says it is disappointed with a media report that attempts to discredit the collaborative efforts of the South African and Nigerian governments to repatriate the bodies of South Africans who died in Nigeria in September.

Government has placed it on record that no form of bartering with Nigeria was conducted during the process to repatriate the South Africans who died when a guesthouse collapsed on 12 September.

Seventy-four of the bodies were repatriated on 16 November, while another 11 are still undergoing the forensic process.

The Mail & Guardian on Friday reported that Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe, who was appointed by President Jacob Zuma as a Special Envoy to oversee the repatriation process, bartered with Nigeria to ensure that an arms sale, which had been blocked by South Africa, would proceed.

Spokesperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Information and Publicity, Phumla Williams, said: “The focus was and continues to remain the repatriation of all the mortal remains to South Africa. Government humbly reminds all South Africans that the families of the victims are in mourning and that they should be respected.

“The use of unnamed sources in this report is tantamount to bringing the repatriation process into disrepute and obscures the focus of the process.”

Government said the Mail & Guardian report “clearly holds no water, ignores the fact that South African citizens died outside our borders, and therefore we had to work within the framework of Nigeria’s laws and policies”.

The repatriation of the bodies was an extensive process dependent on forensic evidence obtained through assigned pathologists. The objective of the Special Envoy to Nigeria was to engage officials on the use of DNA samples initially obtained and South Africa’s fingerprint system to identify the remains.

“It is sad that this article is published at a time when government remains committed to bringing back the 11 remaining bodies to their home - South Africa.

"The families of the victims need to find closure and begin the healing process. We know that this cannot be achieved unless they are given the opportunity to give their loved ones a proper burial,” said Williams.

She said government continues to work with Nigeria and currently DNA samples are being collected from the families of the remaining 11 deceased to assist the forensic process.

“Once again, government thanks all communities and individuals who continue to provide support to the families of the victims.” – SAnews.gov.za