FINALLY BURIED

 

After lying in a mortuary for close to a year becuase of a family dispute, Xao Xashe of Qangwa village in the North West District has finally been buried.

But there was another twist in the drama surrounding his death. Xao’s corpse left Iphitlhe Funeral Parlour in Gumare late at night last week Tuesday, but when it finally arrived at the burial place on Wednesday morning, the grave had not been dug.

It turns out that members of the community who usually assist with grave digging had not been properly informed of the new developments.

Actually, there was still hesitation and disbelief that the burial would indeed proceed. These caused delays resulting in the body of Xao finally getting buried in the afternoon.

“I can confirm that the body has left my morgue, it was taken on Tuesday and burial happened on Wednesday.

“The family does not owe me a single Thebe. We part on good terms,” Director of Iphitlhe Funeral Parlour Magonamo Mmolainyane told The Midweek Sun.

Xao died in April last year and immediately the family got divided over his burial. His father flatly refused to bury Xao, insisting instead that the Ministry of Health tell them exactly what had led to the death of his son.

According to Xao’s uncle Xumae, his brother did not want to believe that his son died of Tuberculosis as informed by the hospital. They tried everything to convince him otherwise but he refused to bury Xao.

The Ministry of Health confirmed to this publication a few weeks ago that Xao was indeed attended to at its facilities under the Okavango District Health Management Team (DHMT).

The family later took the ministry to court alleging that the death was due to negligence. The ministry says the court case is ongoing.

In view of legal rules governing ongoing court cases and also those governing healthcare worker and patient confidentiality issues, the ministry was not at liberty to discuss anything further.

Meanwhile, sources close to the matter have shared that pressure has been mounting on the family and especially Xao’s father to allow the soul of this son to rest, ever since the matter attracted public attention.

Initially, there was resistance but the family finally decided it was now time to let it go.