There was drama at Mumbwa cemetery when police exhumed the body of an officer who died last Saturday in order to conduct a funeral drill and a 21 gun salute.
The incident happened this week when another family mistakenly picked a body of a police officer at Nangoma Mission Mortuary leaving their beloved one behind.
Body of Constable Sikafwalo Masangu was later taken to Mumbwa Central Seventh Day Adventist church for prayers which also included body viewing as no relative identified that they were conducting prayers for the wrong body.
The body of the officer proceeded to the Mumbwa cemetery where the burial took place and speeches delivered to thank the mourners.
Two hours later, Police Officers rushed to Nongoma mortuary in an effort to pick the body of their colleagues for burial procedures but where treated to a rude shock after discovering that the body of their colleague was missing from the morgue.
After investigations, they discovered that body was picked by another family and was already buried two hours earlier.
This forced the police to exhume the body of their colleague and took it to Mumbwa Hospital mortuary to restart the drill and prayers by the New Apostolic Church at the cemetery including the second body viewing in another new coffin and attire.
Whilst in the process of the burial the relatives who took the wrong body also came in with their right relative in a deformed coffin to the amazement of several Mumbwa residents who wondered what exactly happened;
The relative of the officer who refused to talk to ZANIS refused to comment on the matter.
How come? Sounds like a movie script
Very true Zambians have really lost morals on funerals. People never cry/mourn anyone. They are busy taking pictures of the deceased instead of body-viewing. Probably someone even realized that he was a wrong man, but laughed off and posted on WhatsApp. Sad indeed.
This was a great opportunity for the police officer. After exuming, they should have called Pastor Lukau from Sandton South Africa. He could have resurrected him.!!! He is capable of doing such miracles!
Why don’t they just tag people. Here in Canada, you are given a wrist band with all your particulars when you go to the hospital. It makes identification easier because people change.
Am sure mourners where like “efyo bachingishe pamfwa.” No silly! It’s the wrong body!
The family that buried the wrong body must be too superstitious. To them a dead relative is to be feared like a ghost. As a result they performed mortuary chores with morbid fear and conducted body viewing with closed eyes.
The living should at all times regard death as a shadow that hooks itself to one’s life right from birth. Every birthday anniversary celebrated is one more step toward our grave. Such is life’.
So someone must be saying: ” Nenze naona ine ati sabamene but nenze nayopa cabe kukamba”
This police constable was attended church twice and was buried twice. The family that buried the wrong body must be from the movies “Bird Box”.
Mmmm but sure meaning the people who went to get the body didn’t know their relative? Wonders will never end.
This has happened before. I also have failed to understand why people can’t make a proper identification. Maybe like someone has said, people because of superstition rush to get rid of the dead body.
No @Ndanje, I think the biggest problem is (like someone has already pointed out) lack of proper procedure to TAG DEAD BODIES by the people responsible in these hospitals. I see no reason why a WELL TAGGED CORPSE can’t be Identified by relatives. Going by looks alone is really not the best way to ID a dead body. Because people’s appearance can look completely different when they are dead.
One would understand if someone died in a car accident (or something) and did not have an ID on self. But for a pentient who dies at a hospital, there is absolutely no reason why the body should not have an identifying tag with particulars attached. This is just laziness and pure incompetence on the part of the hospital administration. By the way, who releases dead bodies from the mortuary to…
Continue….
relatives or loved ones for burial? That’s were the problem lies and the fix should begin!
Y2 I get your point. It happened at Wusakili in the 1970s when a family took a wrong body because their late daughter and the strange body had the same chitenge material. I was there so I know what I am talking about.
That’s because there is shortage of Mortuary attendants that’s the only job advertised to the public by these thieves.
something wrong with people, when called to be responsible they fail but excellent with asset grabbing.
it was something else i couldnt believe that i was suprised.
These people wanted to home very fast. They could even have buried a Caucasian or an Asian.
Kkkkk jay jay you are too much… the solution here is to tag the bodies of the deceased and problem solved coz this has been happening and at some point it has been let to go just like that after realising in fear of expenses…