He is grateful for the public’s assistance and efforts. The family has confirmed they will now begin making arrangements for the funeral. The search for next of kin began after Oosthuizen (54), an employee of the construction company, collapsed and passed away on Friday (8/8).

Tladi initiated a public search after realising the company had no contact information for Oosthuizen’s next-of-kin on file. The only information Oosthuizen ever mentioned was that he had a house in George and that his family lived near an old-age home.

With the family now found, Tladi said he is pleased that they can give Oosthuizen a proper burial. The deceased’s body remains at the government mortuary in Schweizer-Reneke while the family finalises arrangements.

OFM News previously reported that more than three dozen bodies remain unclaimed at the Brits Forensic Pathology Mortuary in North West.

A total of 38 unknown bodies were unaccounted for at the mortuary on the premises of the Brits police station, said provincial police spokesperson Amanda Funani. The rising number of unclaimed bodies in government mortuaries has been a concerning trend.

Earlier last year, then health minister Dr Joe Phaahla, responding to a parliamentary question from DA MP Madeleine Hicklin, revealed that over 2,000 bodies remain unclaimed in government mortuaries nationwide.

The highest number of unclaimed bodies was reported in KwaZulu-Natal (more than 1,300), followed by Limpopo (283), North West (266), Mpumalanga (82), the Free State (82), and the Northern Cape (51).

The unclaimed bodies at the Brits Forensic Pathology Mortuary are mostly male and were discovered in various locations around the town between 2021 and 2024, said Funani. The bodies were found at, among others, Rabokala Village, Klipgat River, Letlhabile, Mamogaleskraal, Bila Mine, Elandskraal, Damonsville, Cyferskuil, and Marikana.

OFM News/Refilwe Bekane mvh