PEOPLE who are unable to bury their loved ones - forcing a pauper's burial - are obstructing criminal investigations

According to law, bodies not claimed within three months must receive a pauper's burial paid for by local authorities.

Before the body is buried though, police must take fingerprints and a photograph of the deceased for possible identification purposes.

Police officers said that being able to speak to family members would also assist them in being able to solve murder cases.

However, the backlog of unclaimed bodies in Eastern Cape morgues is literally piling up as in many instances the local authorities simply do not have the funds to pay for the burials.

The Lusikisiki mortuary - on the eastern border of the province - has had 13 bodies stored in its packed freezer for over a year.

During a month-long investigation into the state of mortuaries in the province, more than 100 unidentified bodies were discovered in morgue fridges.

Most had decomposed so badly they were disfigured and unrecognisable. The most problematic area was in Transkei and police said the problem was reaching "epic proportions".

Police spokesperson Captain Mduduzi Godlwana said families would often not claim bodies because they did not want to be burdened with funeral costs.

Families who cannot afford a burial must apply for an indigent burial to the local municipality.

In terms of the Health Act of 1977, it is the municipality's responsibility to pay for the removal and burial of the body of a destitute person or of an unclaimed body.

If the person died in a hospital or another institution, then it is the responsibility of that hospital or institution.

Godlwana said mortuary workers were also to blame because they would only call police to take fingerprints weeks after the individual had died.