Family demands tombstone be removed after R30m health payout fails to materialise

By Ronnie Mathobela

A North West family is demanding that the provincial department of health remove a tombstone erected for their father after what they claim was a promise of up to R30 million in compensation never materialised.

The Makinye family said the grave of Stephen Makinye had become a painful reminder of broken promises.

“As a family, we are humbly requesting the North West department of health to excavate and remove that empty grave from our village grave site because it also keeps bringing more trauma on us while there’s no even a counseling we received, with all due respect,” said Makinye’s son, Mojalefa Makinye.

Makinye who died aged 44, disappeared from the former Thusong Hospital in March 2001, just days after being admitted for chest pains.

According to the family, the police opened a missing person case, and the department later confirmed he had been a patient at the hospital.

Months later, hospital workers discovered badly burnt human remains during a cleaning operation. The remains consisted largely of bones and a pair of shoes the family identified as Makinye’s.

The family said the DNA testing proved inconclusive due to the severe charring, although the family maintained the shoes still contained flesh.

In 2016, the family was told during a meeting with police and the department that Makinye’s body had been buried without his head somewhere near Vryburg. Later, health department spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane said records showed he had been buried as a pauper at Lichtenburg cemetery.

In 2023, the department spent R221,000 exhuming 11 graves at Boikhutso cemetery in Lichtenburg, but no remains linked to Makinye were found.

After this, the family said the then MEC for health, Madoda Sambatha, proposed a “spiritual funeral” to bring closure and promised compensation estimated at R30 million.

 The funeral was held and a tombstone erected at the village cemetery. But the money never arrived.

The family said they later forced a meeting with newly appointed MEC Sello Lefari, who allegedly admitted the department had acted wrongly and promised to appoint independent attorneys to determine if the R30 million was sufficient or should be increased.

A report by Moshidi Attorneys reportedly instructed the department not to issue any compensation, and the family said officials later briefed them on the contents.

The North West department of health denied reneging on its commitment.

Spokesperson Lucas Mothibedi said the department could not legally issue compensation without proper documentation.

“We are not refusing to compensate the Makinye family. We also advised the family to follow the right channels of the law and to approach the court and Home Affairs department for a declaration of death. There’s no way the department can just issue money to someone without any legal documents. We will arrange a meeting with the family soon to hear their complaints,” he said.