Photo for illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)
South Africa’s forensic DNA system has been under pressure for years, but new figures confirm that the long-standing backlog has now reached a critical level.
The latest report from the national forensic oversight and ethics board shows that the vast majority of DNA samples are not processed within the prescribed legal timeframe. In addition, a growing backlog of some 175,500 DNA entries that have already exceeded the set deadlines has placed a significant burden on the criminal justice system.
Against this background, pressure groups and political parties warn that delays in forensic evidence already have serious consequences in rape, murder and child abuse cases, and in some cases directly harm the outcome of investigations and prosecutions.
According to the report, only 3.5% of buccal mucosa samples are processed within the prescribed 30 days, while 96.5% exceed the legal time frame.
The civil rights organization Action Society says the situation goes far beyond mere administrative shortcomings and indicates a serious collapse of the forensic system.
Juanita du Preez, national spokesperson for the organization, says victims bear the consequences of these failures on a daily basis.
Photo for illustration purposes only. (Photo: Mufid Majnun/Unsplash)
“Every delayed DNA result represents a rape victim waiting for answers, a child abuse case waiting for prosecution, a homicide investigation waiting for evidence, or a family waiting to bury a loved one because the deceased’s identity has not yet been confirmed.”
According to Du Preez, parliament’s recent call for a comprehensive recovery plan is a clear acknowledgment that the current system is not working.
“South Africans do not need committees or promises. They need a working system that provides evidence in time, while cases are still being investigated.
“This is not simply a DNA problem, but a problem of accountability. The expertise and technology exist, but the management and execution are lacking.”
To tackle the crisis effectively, Action Society demands the immediate establishment of a public, measurable national DNA recovery plan with strict monthly reporting on progress.
“Action Society calls for the speedy appointment of all vacant forensic and technical posts in the police biology department, as well as the continued availability of rape and DNA test kits (DB kits) and essential laboratory supplies.”
In addition, Action Society calls for independent performance reporting per province, as well as stronger cooperation and accountability between the police, the prosecuting authority and the courts to ensure that shortcomings are identified and corrected early.
The organization also calls for public-private partnerships to expand forensic capacity, infrastructure, logistics and specialized testing capabilities.
‘Victims are let down by flawed system’
The DA says the persistent poor performance of the police’s forensic laboratories puts the entire criminal justice chain under pressure and especially lets down victims of violent crime.
Ian Cameron, the DA’s deputy spokesperson on police, says the biology department’s performance, with a final completion rate of 71.39% against a target of 90%, indicates serious structural deficiencies.
He says the problem is not simply with national procurement, as equipment is purchased and distributed to provinces.
According to him, the real bottleneck lies in “weak provincial management and defective command structures, which cause forensic sets to often accumulate in provincial stores and do not reach detectives or police offices”.
“A rape victim can do everything right after the crime – she can report the case, go through the forensic process and cooperate with investigators. Yet justice is still delayed when the basic tools are not available, including properly distributed rape and DB test kits, functioning laboratories, trained detectives and timely availability of DNA results,” he says.
He says South Africa cannot pretend that gender-based violence is taken seriously, while survivors must rely on a system that does not even meet its own targets.
“Survivors deserve justice. Detectives deserve the tools to do their job.”
The DA says it will now direct urgent parliamentary questions to the management of the police, as well as request a national audit of the DNA backlog to determine the full extent and impact on especially cases of gender-based violence.
The party further demands a credible turnaround plan that effectively tackles infrastructural deficits, staff shortages and management failures.