A KOKSTAD family in KwaZulu-Natal had the shock of their lives this week after learning that their son was buried last year. The family has been begging for the release of their son’s body since December 2023 to conduct a dignified send-off, but that never happened.

Things took a sharp turn this week when Sinethemba Selani’s mother Nonkqubela was told that his body was buried in April last year.

Sinethemba left home to seek work in Isipingo in Durban. It was reported that he was found dead in a forest in December 2023 with burn wounds on his body. His family travelled all the way from Kokstad to Isipingo to identify his body at a government mortuary. The family said the body was identified through body marks and a gold tooth. But due to the damage of the body, DNA samples were taken from the deceased’s mother.

The deceased mother, Nonkqubela, said that the family tried several times to request the release of the body by the police, but all their efforts were in vain.

“While waiting for police updates on when the body would be released, the family was told to visit Isipingo police station this week. When we arrived at the police station, we were told that my son was buried in April last year. I could not contain my tears due to shock and frustration,” explained Nonkqubela.

She said she was told to follow all processes to exhume the body of her son and rebury him in their preferred cemetery.

She has appealed for help from any good Samaritan to conduct the processes of exhumation, transport the body from Isipingo to the family’s home in Lusikisiki and rebury him.

“No one is working in the family. Even the money we spent to travel to Isipingo was borrowed. We depend on child-support grants for four children to survive. We need help,” the deceased’s sister Anelisa said.

To help the family, contact 068 836 6883.