Durban - For nine months, Clive Solomon has been waiting for DNA results he hopes will confirm a body lying at the Phoenix Mortuary is that of his brother, Peter Solomon.
Peter, 46, from Newlands West, was employed by a company that repairs trucks in Springfield Park, Durban.
On September 15 last year, Peter used a company-owned bakkie to visit his partner in Unit 13, Phoenix.
Later that night, the bakkie was found alight in Bhambayi in Inanda. After the fire was put out, police found the charred remains of a body in the back of the bakkie. It was burnt beyond recognition.
Police were able to read the number plate and traced the vehicle to the company.
Clive said that on the night of the incident, he received a call from a friend who said the body in the vehicle could be Peter’s.
“I knew that Peter used the bakkie to go home.
“We live in the same area so I drove to his home to check on him, just in case there was some sort of a mistake.
“However, when I got to his house, his bakkie was not in the yard. I tried calling him on his cellphone and there was no answer.
“I called his employer who told me that around 9.20pm, the bakkie had been found in Bhambayi and that a body was in the back of it.
“I contacted Peter’s partner who said he had visited her that evening. She said he left her home around 8.45pm and was planning to go to his house in Newlands.
“He left in the bakkie.”
Clive said the police did not allow him on the scene because the body could not be identified.
“I was not even allowed to view the body and it was taken to the mortuary in Phoenix. I told the police the body belonged to my brother. They took down my contact details and about four days later, they called me for a sample of my DNA.
“They did a mouth swab and tested it against DNA from the body. We received the result about three weeks later but it was inconclusive.”
He said police then took a blood sample from his sister, Sharon Solomon, for a second DNA test.
“It has been nine months and we are still waiting for the result. When I call the investigating officer for feedback, I receive different excuses. Initially, I was told there was a backlog in testing for DNA.
“More recently, the investigating officer has told me that he cannot get in touch with the person doing the testing.
“It is difficult for us, as a family, because we need some sort of closure. However, days are going by and there is nothing we can do.
“As a family, we believe the body belongs to Peter because he was the last person who drove that vehicle.
“Also, Peter is not someone who would just disappear. If he was still alive, he would make contact with our family, more so because he has a 10-year-old daughter who he cares about.
“It is a traumatic thing to have to go through. It hurts us and it is painful to go through day after day. We are Christians and we believe his soul needs to find rest and peace. This can only be done with a funeral.”
Clive said one of his last interactions with Peter was in August last year.
“My wife passed away in 2021 after contracting Covid-19.
“Last August, we had a memorial. Peter helped us prepare. He was his usual jovial self. We cannot understand who would do this to him. It is a terrible death. He was a kind and gentle soul.”
Clive appealed to the police to speed up the process.
“We want the government and police to know that our family are going through a difficult time and the delay in the DNA result is causing more trauma for us. We need the result so we can get closure.”
Since 2021, there was a backlog of cases but in February this year, Police Minister Bheki Cel said the backlog had been considerably reduced.
Cele was responding to parliamentary questions from Zandie Majozi, an IFP MP.
This week, Lirandzu Themba, his spokesperson, said there was no backlog.
“I am not aware of a backlog, as the ministry has previously communicated that the long-standing backlog has been eradicated.”
Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo, a police spokesperson, said Inanda police are investigating a case of murder.
“This is following an incident in which an unknown person was allegedly found in a burning vehicle at Bhambayi in Inanda on September 15, 2022. Reports indicate that the deceased was burnt beyond recognition.
“A DNA sample was taken from a relative and the investigating teams await results.”
The Post