Family faces decade-long wait for toxicology report after son’s tragic death

A grieving family in Boksburg North may have to wait up to 10 years for a toxicology report after the death of their 41-year-old son, a father of two, sparking outrage.

The family was promised the autopsy report within eight weeks in April 2025, but has since been bounced between three police stations and mortuary offices, left without answers.

“The waiting is unbearable, and it feels like justice is being denied to us,” said the family, too distraught to speak publicly, relying on DA Gauteng Health spokesperson and MPL Madeleine Hicklin to speak on their behalf.

Earlier this year, their son underwent what was meant to be a routine neck surgery, which was aborted mid-procedure due to scar tissue from radiation treatment in 2010. Surgeons performed an emergency tracheotomy to help him breathe. For five months, the family endured ICU visits, ventilators, and repeated setbacks.

“My child could not breathe, and I was terrified he was going to suffocate and die. I was helpless to stop it. The day he died was the most agonising of my life,” his mother said.

Adding to their trauma, the family had to wait two weeks before they could bury him. 

“It was bad enough waiting to lay him to rest; now we face a mountain of uncertainty just to find out the cause of death,” the mother added.

The family stressed that the toxicology report is crucial for them to find closure and seek justice. They were told by a police officer that it could take between six and ten years to receive the results.

“How can anyone accept that? We need answers now, not in ten years,” they said.

The delays highlight a national crisis, with over 140 000 DNA and toxicology cases currently backlogged, leaving families in limbo.

This comes despite the Johannesburg Forensic Pathology Laboratories, a state-of-the-art facility costing R703 million, remaining incomplete and unused, according to Hicklin.

“Families are being criminally denied answers. Prosecutions cannot take place, burials are delayed, and grieving continues without closure despite the Johannesburg Forensic Pathology Laboratories, a state-of-the-art building that has cost taxpayers R703 million and is supposed to be the new home of the most modern toxicology suite, lying incomplete and unopened,” she said.

The family’s anguish is intensified by both emotional and financial strain. The deceased’s paraplegic wife now depends on full-time assistance, while their granddaughters grapple with the loss of their father. The mother attends weekly counselling to manage PTSD. “We are struggling. Closure would help us begin to move on to our ‘new normal,’” the family said.

The DA has escalated the case to the National Department of Health, demanding urgent action. 

The family hopes their ordeal will shed light on systemic failures. 

“We are not asking for special treatment. We just want the government to do its job and give us answers so we can finally have peace of mind,” they said.

Responding to the toxicology backlog report, Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) spokesperson Motalatale Modiba explained that the department depends on the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) to process toxicology investigations.

He also highlighted that the shortage of qualified toxicologists across the country contributes to the current delays.

“The Gauteng Department of Health relies on NHLS for the processing of toxicology investigations, and they are in a better position to indicate how they are managing the caseload,” Modiba said, adding that the scarcity of trained toxicologists has further impacted the situation.

The GDoH provided data showing a significant backlog in toxicology investigations over the years. From 2007 to 2024, a total of 17 163 cases were reported, of which only 437 results have been received, leaving 16 726 cases still pending.

The Star

masabata.mkwananzi@inl.co.za