​Koketso Maraba
 
The Gauteng Department of Health will invest R14 million to purchase two additional advanced LowDox full-body X-ray machines. These scanners will be installed at forensic pathology centres to assist forensic pathologists in determining the cause of death more quickly and without the need for invasive autopsies.
The announcement was made by MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, during the 2025/26 Budget Vote speech. She explained that the new machines will help provide families with answers sooner, which is essential for emotional closure and for legal matters such as settling estates.
LowDox machines produce clear, full-body digital X-rays that reveal injuries such as fractures, internal bleeding, or foreign objects like bullets. This technology allows forensic pathologists to examine bodies in detail without having to perform traditional autopsies, making the process faster, more respectful, and more efficient.
These machines will support Gauteng's Forensic Pathology Service, which investigates deaths that are sudden, unexpected, suspicious, or unnatural.
In addition to improving forensic investigations, the LowDox scanners will assist forensic pathologists in cases involving Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF). While GBVF is often addressed in clinical settings involving living victims, many fatal cases, such as femicide, child abuse, and intimate partner violence, require post-mortem examination.
The scanners can detect signs of physical trauma, including internal injuries, bruising, and past abuse that may not be immediately visible. This helps pathologists build a clearer picture of the circumstances surrounding a death and supports medical and legal processes in holding perpetrators to account.
Alongside the LowDox scanners, Gauteng's forensic teams have introduced a digital fingerprint identification system to improve the identification of deceased individuals and assist hospitals with unknown and unclaimed patients.
Since its launch in November 2023, the system has completed a total of 840 verifications and reports. It has also helped hospitals by collecting fingerprints from 180 deceased patients and identifying 80 unknown living patients through fingerprint scans, allowing hospitals to contact family members more quickly.
Recently, members of the Forensic Pathology Service from Bronkhorstspruit, Ga-Rankuwa, and Germiston assisted at Clinix Solomon Stix Morewa Memorial Hospital by capturing fingerprints of living patients, many of whom are mental health care users.
They collected 28 sets of fingerprints from patients whose identities were unknown and submitted them for identification. They also verified the identities of 35 patients using known biometric and ID information. This supports the process of tracing the identities and families of vulnerable patients, helping social workers and hospital staff begin the process of reuniting them with their loved ones.
The new LowDox machines, along with the digital fingerprinting system, are expected to speed up investigations and reduce delays in returning loved ones to their families.
In addition, the MEC announced that the Forensic Pathology Services will introduce biometric body tagging and fingerprint integration for real-time traceability from scene to facility release.