Busisiwe Mvimbani has made impassioned pleas on social media for assistance in her search for her missing 15-year-old daughter, Happy Mvimbani, who went missing from their home on April 26, 2022. Picture: Facebook
An Eastern Cape woman’s plight for closure as she pursues the search for the body of her daughter who went missing in 2022 has prompted the province’s Health Department to do DNA testing on two bodies from Willowvale.
Busisiwe Mvimbani has made impassioned pleas on social media for assistance in her search for her missing 15-year-old daughter, Happy Mvimbani, who went missing from their home on April 26, 2022.
An emotional Mvimbani said while she believes her daughter is deceased, she will only have closure when her daughter is buried. Despite her efforts, she alleges she has been red-taped and “abused” by Butterworth forensic staff members, who are not allowing her to view her child’s body.
“I am meeting with authorities tomorrow, who are expected to provide answers on the way forward. I am not happy with the assistance that I have gotten from the forensic staff.
“This has been very emotional for me and too difficult. I do not believe that she is alive anymore and that is why I have been up and down to the mortuary for assistance, but I am getting nowhere,” said Mvimbani.
Mvimbani said she last saw her daughter alive on April 26, 2022.
In a statement, the Eastern Cape Health Department said they sympathised with Mvimbani’s case.
The department further confirmed that an internal investigation is under way to investigate the allegations against staff who denied assistance to Mvimbani.
“A case was opened with the SAPS by the family in 2022 and finding the missing person is the subject of the SAPS investigations. In 2022, SAPS, in turn, indicated that there were bodies that they collected from various scenes that could possibly meet the description of the missing daughter.
“They liaised with our Forensic Pathology Service in Butterworth and brought Mvimbani to our unit to view these bodies on two occasions during 2022 – the 28 April 2022 and the 13th May 2022.
“Mvimbani viewed the bodies but, regretfully, reported that these were not that of her missing daughter. In 2023, Mvimbani came back to our unit saying that she was convinced her child is at the mortuary. The bodies were all frozen.
“We followed the procedure to defrost the bodies and the process of viewing the bodies was conducted. Again, Mvimbani indicated that none of the bodies in storage was that of her missing daughter.
“At the end of 2024, Mvimbani once more returned to our services with the firm belief that the body must be there. The bodies being referred to have been in storage, frozen since 2022, and had to be subjected to a defrosting process. Hence Mvimbani would need to come back to view the bodies once more,” the department said.
Referring to a “poor interaction” at the forensic pathology services, the department confirmed the matter is being investigated.
“There was allegedly a poor interaction between Mvimbani and one of the forensic pathology officers who was on duty when she indicated that she wanted to view the bodies again and the process was explained to her – this is the subject of an internal investigation to ascertain the facts.
“The department made arrangements for Mvimbani to view the bodies again. Following defrosting of the bodies across the weekend, Mvimbani was showed the bodies again (on Monday).
In addition to the viewing, DNA samples were taken today from Mvimbani and will be tested against the two bodies from Willowvale… It must be noted that on all occasions, Mvimbani has indicated that none of the bodies she had viewed is that of her missing daughter, though she still harbours the belief that the missing body is at the mortuary.
“We must state that it does appear that there is no basis to the allegation that bodies have been switched, as it is being alleged,” the department confirmed.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) said they are appalled by the way in which the matter is being dealt with.
“It is with great concern that we highlight the lack of support and compassion exhibited by the Gcuwa forensic mortuary in the Eastern Cape. After receiving a lead from the police indicating that a body had been discovered in a river, Mvimbani approached the forensic unit with hope and desperation.
“Instead of receiving the necessary assistance, she was met with incompetence and a glaring lack of empathy,” the ATM said.
The ATM called on the department to take immediate action in instances where families were affected by “acts of negligence and gross violation of their rights”.
chevon.booysen@inl.co.za