Seventy-eight bodies were retrieved by a government led operation from mineshafts last year. On Tuesday, the provincial Health Department buried 30 unclaimed bodies in a pauper funeral in Jouberton and Kanana.

The remaining 23 unclaimed bodies will be buried once all necessary administration has been completed. Community Leader, Johannes Qankase says they condemn the department of health for not informing them about the burials.

“We are very angry about not being informed about the burials because, at the end of the day, those people were helped by us. We are the ones who helped them to resurface. So, we are just amazed that the government could just go on to bury the same people without even telling us that people are going to be buried. Even if their families were not there, we are their families on a basis that we are the ones who managed to stand up and make the point that we must save them,” Qankase said.

--SABC--