LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes
@SunZambian
THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) says it will in the next 14 days bury 23 unclaimed bodies at Chingwere Cemetery.
In a statement to the Sun in Lusaka yesterday, LCC public relations Manager, George Sichimba, said the decision follows a request from the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) to the council to bury the unclaimed bodies in order to decongest the mortuary.
Mr Sichimba said the 23 unclaimed male bodies had been laying in the UTH mortuary for some time now, giving rise to an unpleasant environment, contrary to the Public Health Act, Cap 295 of the Laws of Zambia.
“LCC has caused a public notice to be published in the press about its intention to bury the bodies. This is in accordance with the provisions of Section 61, Paragraph 41, of the Second Schedule of the Local Government Act Cap 281 of Laws of Zambia,” he said.
“In accordance with the law, 14 days have been assigned in the notice for members of the public to claim/identify any of the bodies and conduct burial,” Mr Sichimba said.
Mr Sichimba said at the expiry of the assigned period, all the unclaimed bodies, would be buried by the local authority.
He said this will be the third time this year that the local authority was burying unclaimed bodies, bringing the total to 68.
Mr Sichimba advised members of the public who were missing relatives or friends to visit the UTH for possible identification of any of the bodies before they were buried.
