South Africa holds funerals for 30 unclaimed bodies retrieved from abandoned gold mine

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - South Africa conducted the first pauper's funerals Tuesday for 30 unclaimed bodies retrieved from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, North West province in January.

According to North West province's Health Department spokesman Tshegofatso Mothibedi, 20 more bodies are to be buried at the end of June with the completion of all necessary administration formalities.

"We have also successfully handed 25 bodies to their loved ones and communities after they were positively linked and matched our DNA testing. We are anticipating that the remaining bodies will be buried at the last week of June following all the documentation that is outstanding, including death certificates from Home Affairs," Mothibedi was quoted by local media as saying, adding that Tuesday's funerals were held in Jouberton, Klerksdorp and Kanana in Orkney.

The corpses were those among 78 illegal miners retrieved from the mine under a government operation.

As of April, only 12 bodies were identified by family members.

The operation also retrieved 246 survivors.