By Rex Mphisa at Siloam Hospital, SA.
LIMPOPO Province premier Phophi Ramathuba has said identification of the deceased will be thorough and meticulous to bring closure to families of those who perished in the 12 October accident on the N1 freeway near Makhado formerly Louis Tritchadt whose death toll has now reached 44.
“One person who had been taken to Polokwane succuumbed to their injuries making a total of 44 the lives death has robbed from us,” she said.
Ramathuba was addressing more than 100 relatives of the deceased who were at Siloam hospital where physical identification started on Monday.
Ramathuba who said her government took seriously the accident led three members of her Limpopo executive committee and several experts from the police forensic unit, health executives and specialists from different hospitals across the province to meet the grieving familes.
She gave a blow by blow account of what was done immediately after the accident ticking all boxes of emergency procedures she said were done from top level.
“It is not an ordinary accident and we treated it as such by sending the top teams and first preserving the lives of survivors then restoring the dignity of the deceased, ” she said.
She told the relatives of the deceased her Government even at national level expected top notch treatment of the accident she said will be talked about for a long time.
“Being an African I know the Importance of closure and that is why we are striving to have each family collect their right person for burial. We should not have cases where our traditions will follow us when a wrong burial has been done,” she said.
“Every step to restore the dignity of the dead by preservation was done so that people can identify their relatives and bury the right person bringing closure,” she said.
She brought light moments when she said some of the people discharged from hospital after the accident were refusing to leave because of the special food prepared under hosptal executives supervision.
“It only speaks of the care we put in everything we did after the horrible accident. I want to thank everyone who responded to the call for help,” she said.
Specifically she mentioned Elim, Siloam, Tshiidzini, and Polokwane hospitals which admitted the survivors of the horror crash, arguably the worst on that road in living memory.
“We are walking this difficult part of the journey with all the relatives of the deceased whom we share life with as one big human family, whatever differences people may have should be swept aside in times like this. We are thankful to our governments of Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa for working together in this disaster,” she said.
She asked those identifying their loved ones to be strong so as not to mke mistakes.
She agreed thebprocess was emotional but had to be done.
Thirty three Zimbabweans had so far been identified from pictures and Monday the physical identification started.
Relatives were taken two from each family into the morgue to identify their loved ones.
“We have on standby social workers, counsellors and psychological experts to support you,” she said.