The Grootfontein Hospital mortuary has been keeping 133 unclaimed bodies of babies and a number of adults since May 2017.

The hospital says it has been struggling to locate families as well as land to conduct burials.

In a letter dated 19 March 2025, the hospital reported struggles to locate families and access land for burials and are now seeking urgent action to conduct a mass pauper burial, as bodies decompose.

Deputy Prime Minister Natangue Ithete, who was speaking at a Swapo Party rally at Grootfontein, appealed to the municipality to be flexible and avail land for mass burials.

"The leadership of Grootfontein, I want to bring it to your attention. Consult the central government that we do not have enough space for those that have left us. Our mortuaries are packed with a number of bodies, and it's not hygienic. The municipality must give us land so we can send our loved ones off peacefully. Whether we know them or we do not know them, provided that they are human beings and they are no more, automatically that makes them our loved ones; therefore, we can't keep their bodies packed in the mortuaries. We have to find a solution to this."

Another pressing issue is the need to de-mine the plot adjacent to the hospital for construction.

The plot was closed off by the Grootfontein Military Base in 2022 following an explosion during a clean-up campaign.

Since then, no development could take place, though the hospital made a request to the military base to de-mine the area.

The municipality has also been called upon to address the issues of electrification and sewerage spillage as well as historical municipal utility debts affecting residents in different localities.

When contacted, Otjozondjupa Regional Health Director Timotheus Gerbardo confirmed the unclaimed bodies, saying he authorised the release for the mass burial, and the delays are from the municipality side.

However, Acting Chief Executive Officer Indileni Lungameni said the municipality had long approved a free gravesite in February this year and also shifted the blame to the ministry.

On the de-mining of the hospital plot, Namibia Defence Force spokesperson Colonel Petrus Shilumbu said the exercise is delayed as proper procedures were not taken to request it and the cost implications.

However, NDF is ready to clear the site as of the second week of June 2025.