Masabata Mkwananzi|Published
South Africa's R186 million boost for forensic investigations faces tough questions as more than 228,000 DNA exhibit entries at police laboratories have exceeded processing deadlines, with experts warning that procurement failures and underused equipment could undermine efforts to bring offenders to justice.
The funding, announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday, comes amid mounting concern over the South African Police Service's (SAPS) forensic laboratory capacity and the impact of delays on rape, murder and other criminal investigations.
Figures disclosed in a parliamentary reply in July showed that SAPS laboratories had 298,710 DNA exhibit entries on hand, of which 228,017 had exceeded internal processing deadlines. The outstanding entries had been waiting an average of approximately 800 days.
Further concerns emerged during Parliament's October oversight hearings. Figures from the National Forensic Oversight and Ethics Board showed that only 3,471 of the 238,707 DNA profiles generated during the 2025/26 financial year were completed within 30 days.
Procurement failures put DNA investigations at risk
Police Portfolio Committee chairperson Ian Cameron accused SAPS management of allowing procurement failures to cripple forensic investigations and called for evidence that the additional funding would improve laboratory operations.
“SAPS has failed badly in managing forensic capacity. Allowing essential equipment to stand unused because supplies are unavailable, while failing to keep procurement functioning, is unacceptable. These failures undermine investigations and prolong the suffering of victims.”
Cameron said SAPS had yet to provide a verified breakdown of how many rape, murder and other investigations had been delayed because of laboratory failures.
He called on SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to establish which investigations were awaiting DNA results, how long they had been delayed and whether the delays had affected court proceedings.
“Where critical DNA evidence is delayed, identifying offenders, securing prosecutions and excluding innocent people can all be delayed. This is a failure with real consequences for public safety and justice.”
Essential supplies and contracts remain a concern
Dr Vanessa Lynch, regional director for Africa at DNA for Africa and founder of The DNA Project, said laboratories had been relying on purchase orders capped at R1 million, each taking approximately 12 weeks to approve, because contracts for essential supplies remained unresolved.
She said some automated systems had been retired, forcing analysts to process evidence manually. Equipment without maintenance contracts could also not be repaired when it broke down.
“A tube that costs a few rand can stop an instrument worth millions. When extraction stops, everything after it stops too. No profiles are produced, nothing goes onto the National Forensic DNA Database, and no links are made.”
Lynch cited the case of an Ekurhuleni man convicted on 90 rape counts who was linked to 97 incidents, including 49 connected through DNA matches.
She warned that delays in loading profiles onto the database could prevent police from identifying repeat offenders.
Lynch called for outstanding contracts to be finalised and accredited private and university laboratories to help process evidence. She cautioned that the additional funding would achieve little without changes to procurement.
“This is not mainly a funding failure. It is a failure of procurement and of accountability.”
Experts call for focus on justice for victims
Professor Laura Heathfield, head of the Biomedical Forensic Science Unit at the University of Cape Town, said shortages of extraction supplies could leave biological evidence from rape and murder cases unprocessed, delaying results needed by investigators.
She called for partnerships with qualified laboratories and investment in improved DNA interpretation systems to ensure that evidence produced was reliable and useful in criminal cases.
“While reducing the number of cases in the DNA backlog is one measure, it is my opinion that the ultimate measure ought to be the number of cases where families and victims receive justice.”
TEARS Foundation founder Mara Glennie warned that funding announcements would mean little to survivors if police stations, healthcare facilities and organisations assisting victims remained short of essential resources.
She raised concerns about shortages of specialist social workers, overcrowded shelters and a lack of adequately trained frontline personnel, saying survivors continued to face delays in receiving help.
“Greater investment in policing and forensic capacity is essential, but we cannot investigate our way out of a crisis that we are failing to prevent,” Glennie warned.