Philippi family battle to bury their relative

Nandipha Ngwalangwala, rigfht, the distraught sister of Thembisile Ngwalangwala, will welcome any help to bury her brother. She is pictured with while with Ziyanda Loliwe comfor

The heartbroken family and friends of a Browns Farm man who was shot dead at a Mandalay garage more than a month ago, are struggling to bury him because he did not have an identity document or birth certificate.

Thembisile Ngwalangwala, 24, was killed on March 17.

His distraught sister, Nandipha Ngwalangwala, said they always knew that Thembisile did not have identification papers but he had always refused to apply for them.

She said now they have to run up and down for help to bury him.

“I cannot explain why my mother did not get a birth certificate for him. I cannot even ask her that question now because she passed on a long time ago.

The focus now is trying to get my brother’s body and bury it, “ she told Vukani.

The devastated sister and her friends said they have been to the Department of Home Affairs and he does not appear on the system.

Ms Ngwalangwala said to make things worse, the mortuary would also not release the body because there are no official papers.

“He is still lying in Tygerberg mortuary. We were told there will be a DNA test done and sent to Pretoria. We do not know when that will happen.

“We are waiting for a day we do not know while my brother is probably decaying there,” she said.

Ms Ngwalangwala said they are hoping that somebody would help them bury her brother.

She said her brother was shot at the Mandalay garage while driving an Avanza but she doesn’t know the details of the shooting.

“I am not even interested in the details of his death now, all I want is to get help to bury him.

“I am alone in this, the family have ran away. My own sister ran away after this so I am left with friends who are helping,” she said.

When Vukani visited the home, Ms Ngwalangwala was with friend, Ziyanda Loliwe. Ms Loliwe said she hoped her friend get help so she could lay her brother to rest.

She said she hoped that the DNA test would be done soon to relieve her friend from the pain she is going through.

The Department of Home Affairs said they dealt with similar cases daily.

They said they had attempted to contact Ms Ngwalangwala to get more information but in a case such as this where the deceased has no identification or birth certificate, a DNA test must be done. Once this process is complete, the death notification will be sent to the department and a hand-written death certificate will be issued before the body can be claimed for burial.