Almost a year after 76 people died in the Marshalltown fire, the bodies of a mother and daughter are still in the morgue. The family want to bury their loved ones, but officials say they are still establishing a DNA link.

Listen to this article 7 min Listen to this article 7 min Almost 12 months after Johannesburg's deadly Marshalltown fire, the Phafoli family is struggling to have the bodies of their loved ones who died in the 31 August blaze released - 50-year-old Tlalane Buthelezi and her daughter, 14-year-old Banele.

According to the family, the authorities have asked for more time to establish a DNA link between the mother and daughter before they release the bodies for burial.

"I don't understand, how much more time do the authorities need? It will be a year at the end of August," said Thabile Phafoli, Tlalane Buthelezi's nephew.

He said the family had undergone three rounds of DNA testing to identify the bodies, but had not received any results.

As of 30 April 2024, of the 76 people who died in the Usindiso building, 57 had been positively identified and 19 had not.

Phafoli said his family had made multiple trips from Maseru, Lesotho, to Johannesburg for answers and, hopefully, the remains of their loved ones.

"It all began on the day we got to the scene of the fire on the 2nd of September 2023. We were told it...