Cape Town’s new mortuary might not be able to cope with the rate of mortality in the city.
With the Mother City recently ranked as the 11th most dangerous city in the world and a mortality rate that has increased due to a rise in crime, the amount of deaths may bring in an influx that is more than the mortuary, which is still to open, can accommodate.
During a media tour of the morgue, Professor Lorna Martin, head of the Forensic Pathology Service in the Western Cape, said that due to the high numbers of murders there might not be enough pathology staff to accommodate all arrivals. During January and April, an estimated 1 300 murder victims were reported across city mortuaries. Martin said the service is trying its level best to ensure that an adequate amount of staff will be available when the mortuary opens.
The new facility, costing R281-million, will be double the size of the existing mortuary in Salt River. The Western Cape Government Department of Health and the Department of Transport and Public Works have partnered on this project.
Picture: Twitter