The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

THE government will allow the family of a cruise ship employee who died in the Bahamas three days to view her body before it is cremated.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement released yesterday debunked online reports which alleged the family was told by the Bahamas government Nobuhle Ntombenhle Bhengu’s body would be released to be sent home to South Africa.

Officials reportedly met with the family to discuss public health standards of both the South African and Bahamian governments that prevented the transport of her remains.

“The Bahamas Government is deeply saddened by the death of Ms Nobuhle Ntombenhle Bhengu,” read the statement.

“The Bahamas also understands the desire of her family to repatriate her body to South Africa for burial. Representatives of The Bahamas met today with members of Ms. Bhengu’s family and a representative of the South African government.

It continued: “At that meeting, it was discussed that international public health standards, including the public health standards of both the South African and Bahamian governments, would not allow for repatriation of Ms. Bhengu’s body to South Africa. For that reason, Ms. Bhengu’s family will have the opportunity to view her remains over the next three days before the remains are cremated.

“While all parties sought to find a way to repatriate Ms. Bhengu’s remains,” the statement added, “regrettably cremation is the only course of action that conforms with national and international health regulations. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ms. Bhengu’s family at this difficult time.”

The Tribune was told on Sunday that a positive tuberculosis prognosis was found after an autopsy.

A decision had been made here, The Tribune was told, to cremate Bhengu’s body as a safeguard against the spread of alleged TB.

TimesLIVE reported that an agreement had been reached in the weeks-long battle to repatriate the body, and interviewed Bhengu’s sister, Mbali Bhengu, who said her family had gone through much pain since Bhengu’s death on February 12.

Mbali Bhengu said: “It’s a very difficult time. Because of us this ordeal, we have had our mother admitted to hospital. She couldn’t deal with it after we heard that she will be cremated. It was too much for us.

“The last time we saw her was last year in July so it would have been very painful for us to not even see her body. It was painful enough for us that we were not there for her when she needed us the most. Now we have heard that the Bahamas government has agreed to give us back the body. That’s a huge relief.”

Bhengu was due to return home on March 27 after her contract with MSC expired. However, she suddenly became ill in January after complaining of a sore body.

Mbali said her sister had told her she had gone to a hospital, where she had been told that she needed a blood transfusion. She was admitted to hospital around February 10 for stomach flu.

“We tried to call her on Monday February 11 but could not reach her and tried on Tuesday but still could not reach her, until MSC informed us on Wednesday that she had died on February 12,” Mbali Bhengu also said.