Thobeka Ngema|Published
DNA and fingerprint matching efforts have yet to identify any of the six South Africans missing after devastating floods in the Nepal-China border region, as families continue to wait for answers and clarity on the process for legally declaring missing people dead.
South African High Commissioner to India, Nepal and Bangladesh, Professor Anil Sooklal, said Nepalese authorities had found more than 1,400 people killed in the August 26 floods, while more than 6,000 people remained missing. Forensic teams have been matching fingerprints and DNA samples, including samples provided by the families of the missing South Africans, but so far there have been no matches.
The six missing South Africans are Surendranath Maharaj, 74, and his wife, Anita Devi Maharaj, 67; Vivaganathan “Tony” Pillay, 66, and his wife, Janet Pillay, 56; Bavika Ramjee, 43; and Terricia Govender, 33.
Nepal works on process for death certificates
Earlier this month, the Nepalese government announced that the waiting period to legally declare missing victims dead had been shortened from 12 years to 45 days following the August 26 flash floods.
Sooklal said that during his annual visit to Nepal recently, he met several ministers and the mayor of Kathmandu. They wanted an update on the processes for those missing after August 26.
“There’s a lot of pressure on them, families wanting to bring closure for a number of reasons, legal reasons; they need a death certificate in terms of rounding up estates and other procedures; they need a death certificate to say the person is legally declared dead.”
Sooklal said he was trying to establish the procedure for families who had lost loved ones.
“They are busy working out the mechanics around it, but they said it will be through diplomatic channels, through the embassies, that they will inform families of the procedure in order to obtain death certificates for those that are still missing because they say the sludge is like kilometres thick,” Sooklal said.
“Of the 1 400 that they have found, they are busy with the matching in terms of fingerprints and DNA tests, but thus far nothing; not one of the six South Africans missing has found any matches.
“That’s where the process is at the moment. We just have to wait for them to pronounce the procedure and then inform the families from the South African side.”
Sooklal said South African authorities and embassies in Pretoria and Delhi had been actively liaising with affected families, facilitating forensic matching through DNA and fingerprints handed over to Nepalese authorities, and assisting families visiting to search through recovered personal belongings.
Families call for answers and continued efforts
During his visit, Sooklal said he had positive engagements with Nepalese ministers, including discussions with the mayor of Kathmandu and the Rotary Club about potential city twinning and community linkages.
He also highlighted opportunities to deepen trade interactions and support the growing number of South Africans visiting for pilgrimage and adventure tourism at Mount Everest.
Meanwhile, Terricia’s mother, Linda Govender, has launched Global Voices for the Missing, a united call for the world to listen, care, share their stories and help bring answers to families still waiting.
“We come together to turn our individual voices into one powerful international movement to raise awareness, share our stories, keep our missing loved ones in the public eye, and call for communication, answers, and continued efforts to establish what happened. We are here because our loved ones matter. Their stories matter, and the world must not look away,” Govender said.
On October 17, their proposed global action day, videos from across the world flooded Govender’s Facebook page.
She said they had to unite and call for the missing to remain visible, for families to receive clear updates, and for appropriate follow-up to continue on every unresolved case.
"Therefore, we call for international media coverage, clear updates from authorities, continued cooperation between Nepal and China, and answers on identification or investigative steps for families," she said.