Costa Titch‘s mother took to Instagram to express her frustration with the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) for their delay in releasing the results of her son’s toxicology test results.
Costa Titch toxicology results hold answers to cause of death
The prominent South African rapper tragically passed away two months ago while performing at the Ultra Music Festival held at the Nasrec Expo Centre on 11 March 2023, about a month after his mentor and collaborator, Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes died.
The incident prompted a police investigation, but so far, little progress has been made.
In a heartfelt post published on the rapper’s Instagram page, ‘Mama Titch’ raised concerns about the potential consequences if foul play was involved in her son’s death.
Without the necessary medical results, the police investigation could be hindered, potentially allowing those responsible to evade justice, she stressed.
“If anyone did poison my son, they could get away with murder,” she wrote.
She emphasised the lengthy process of toxicology tests conducted by the NHLS, which could take months or even years to finalise.
The grieving mother’s plea for answers extends beyond her personal loss, highlighting the broader issue faced by other mothers in South Africa who are also awaiting crucial medical results.
She called for assistance in expediting the release of these findings, stressing their significance in advancing the investigation.
“I’m pleading for help to get answers as even the police cannot do anything without these medical results,” she said.
NHLS drowning in decade-long toxicology backlog
While the NHLS had not issued a response to the claims made by Titch’s mom, the department has recently come under fire for its backlog of over 35 000 untested toxicology reports.
In March 2023, the Health Department announced plans to allocate additional resources to address the significant backlog of toxicology cases.
At the time, there were 35 775 pending cases, an increase from 33 711 cases when the NHLS assumed management of the laboratories in April 2022.
Delays in processing these cases, which include tests for drugs, alcohol, poisons, and heavy metals, have had far-reaching implications for critical police investigations, mortuary autopsy reports, and the pursuit of justice in court.
During a parliamentary session, Health Minister Joe Phaahla revealed that approximately 2 500 of the outstanding tests date back over a decade, with 7 288 tests pending for five to nine years and 12 000 tests pending for up to five years.
The NHLS acknowledges the need for a turnaround strategy to expedite the processing of these cases and has expressed its commitment to accelerating the pace of resolution.
While specific financial allocations have not been disclosed, the NHLS stated that it has accumulated reserves and is prepared to invest accordingly.
Insufficient funding has been a significant challenge for the forensic chemistry laboratories, with a conditional grant of R138 million provided for the 2022/2023 fiscal year proving inadequate to cover expenses.
Additionally, the NHLS highlighted the lack of background information accompanying over 70% of the cases received for toxicology testing, further complicating the process. Loadshedding, which leads to power cuts, has also severely impacted productivity as samples cannot be processed during these periods.
The NHLS aims to achieve a target turnaround time of 90 days for new cases. The Johannesburg facility, handling an average of 700 cases during the first half of the 2022/2023 period, remains the busiest, followed by Pretoria with 600 cases and Cape Town with 260 cases.