Picture: The preparation to exhume the bodies/Generic
By OBAKENG MAJE
The North West Department of Health will exhume eleven unidentified bodies that were buried at Boikhutsong cemetery, near Lichtenburg. The department suspects that, the remains of a patient that went missing while admitted at Thusong Hospital near Itsoseng Township might be among those bodies.
According to the North West Department of Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane, the patient went missing a few year ago.
Lekgethwane said: “The department has obtained a court order from the Ditsobotla Magistrate’s Court to exhume eleven unidentified bodies on Thursday. This is in search of the remains of a male patient, who went missing a number of years ago at Thusong Hospital.
“The DNA tests conducted on the remains of a body found at the hospital at the time proved inconclusive. However, following a lengthy investigation, it is now suspected that the remains of the missing patient could be in one of the eleven graves.”
Lekgethwane further said, the family and the department recently approached the court to grant an order for the exhumation of the remains of a body suspected to be that of the missing patient. He added that, the suspected remains are said to have been buried with some personal items which could assist in the identification process.
The exhumation will take place at 9am.
The Guardian 