08 Jun 2024

Batswana living abroad have been advised to obtain insurance policies, which covers evacuation and relocation of bodies owing to high costs involved in body repatriation.

Assistant Director in the Department of Public Diplomacy, Research and Policy Analysis Ms Kgopodiso Mosinki revealed in an interview that repatriation costs were substantial.

She therefore, advised that when travelling, one, should in addition to informing their next of kin about their travel plans, register their personal details with the nearest embassy, high commission or consulate to attain insurance policy.

“It is the responsibility of the family or next of kin of the deceased to bear the costs of the repatriation of the remains,” she said.

In the past five years to date, Ms Mosinki said 139 corpses were repatriated of which 69 were repatriated this year, 30 last year while the rest were between 2022 and 2020.

“Nonetheless, despite substantial costs of repatriation, The United Kingdom is among the top five countries where mortal remains of Batswana are returned home for burial,” she said.

Other top countries that bodies were repatriated from are South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.

According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, repatriation process of a corpse from South Africa can cost around P35 000, United Kingdom P80 000, United States of America P120 000 and China P300 000.

She said during the repatriation process, government worked closely with the family of the deceased to ensure that they were issued with necessary documents to be able to relocate the remains.

Such include the processing of death certificate, mortuary documents, passport photos of the deceased, non-infectious certificate from the hospital, embalming certificate from the mortuary, and letter from the high commission or embassy requesting for the smooth passage of the body.

In addition, government helps with identity documents of the person accompanying the body, burial order from the family of the deceased advising that they authorise a particular individual to assist with the repatriation, and police affidavit to verify the relation of the deceased to the person repatriating the body.

She explained that in a case where a family could not afford the costs of repatriation, they were referred to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for assistance.

As opposed to bodies repatriated from Botswana, she said on average the ministry was involved in the repatriation of six bodies per year making it an average of 30 bodies over a period of five years, adding that most of the bodies were destined to Zimbabwe.

“It should be pointed out that most families prefer to obtain permission to bury their next of kin in Botswana to avoid the hefty costs of transporting the mortal remains of their loved ones back to the countries of origin,” she said.

She further said the process of repatriation involved multiple stakeholders such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Botswana Police Service and Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs.

Ms Mosinki said it was important to verify the identity of the body prior to its transportation.

“This is done through physical confirmation by a family member or the next of kin of the deceased. Where it is not practical to do so, there is a clinical procedure where DNA is used to verify the remains of the deceased,” she said.

Last month, 45 remains of Batswana who perished in a bus road accident in Limpopo, South Africa were repatriated back home with the help of the government, which bore all the related costs including burial.

The government spent about P6 million in transportation, repatriation and funeral expenses.

The number, which was historic for the country, involved members of the St Engenas Zion Christian Church who were travelling for Easter holiday services in Moria, South Africa. ENDS