A tragic discovery has been made at Tonga Hospital in Mpumalanga, where the decomposed body of a woman who went missing earlier this month was found near the hospital’s sewerage area. The woman, 51-year-old Judith Tinana Ntimane, was reported missing on May 13, just eleven days after being admitted to the hospital.
Ntimane was last seen around 10:00 a.m. on the morning she disappeared. Hospital staff, police, and security immediately initiated a search within the hospital wards and surrounding premises, but she was nowhere to be found. She was reportedly still wearing her hospital gown at the time of her disappearance.
On May 22, during a joint operation between the police and the local community policing forum to clear thick vegetation near the hospital’s sewerage site, her body was discovered. The area had not been thoroughly searched earlier due to dense bushes, prompting the debushing project. Authorities were called to the scene after the discovery, and her identity was later confirmed by her sister.
Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, spokesperson for the provincial police, stated that investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding her death. The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, expressed his condolences to the grieving family and commended the collaborative efforts that led to the recovery of her remains.
This tragic case echoes a similar incident that occurred in Mpumalanga in July 2024. Lazarus Mathabele, a 57-year-old man, was found dead outside Matikwane Hospital in Mkhuhlu, where he had been a patient. Community members discovered his body early in the morning behind the hospital premises. Like Ntimane, he too was dressed in a hospital gown at the time of his death.
In a disturbing twist, nurses allegedly attempted to move Mathabele’s body back into the hospital, presumably to make it appear as though he had died inside. The family has since been left in the dark, with no official explanation on how he managed to leave the hospital undetected. Neither the hospital staff nor its security team could account for the incident.
Mathabele’s widow, Filizard Mathebula, and their son Jabulani, have voiced their deep disappointment and confusion. Jabulani described his late father as the family’s breadwinner, a hardworking farmworker from Hazyview, and expressed concern that justice has yet to be served. He is survived by his wife and seven children.
These back-to-back tragedies have raised serious concerns about patient safety and security within Mpumalanga hospitals. Families are calling for answers, accountability, and improved measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
As investigations continue, both families remain in mourning, seeking clarity and justice for their loved ones who died under mysterious and troubling circumstances.
