Advocacy group laments DNA backlog as country prepares for 16 Days campaign
Advocacy group, Lifeline & Rape Crisis Pietermaritzburg says the country's DNA backlog problems have crippled our justice system's ability to finalise gender-based violence cases.
Members of the NGO are planning on marching to the KZN legislature tomorrow, which also marks the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign.
Lifeline's Sinikiwe Biyela says the DNA backlogs present huge challenges in obtaining successful prosecutions in rape cases.
She says rapists are roaming free because of these delays.
"Cases that we've been working on for two or three years, what normally comes back it says the results are inconclusive.
“And it's inconclusive because the specimen and deteriorated while they were waiting for their justice. The perpetrators end up getting acquitted, which is actually very sad."
Biyela says there're currently over 215 000 DNA results outstanding nationwide.
She says a lack of accountability from officials and dysfunctional laboratories are to blame.
"The part of the gap is the law itself, the sexual offences and related matters act does not give a specific to say the survivor's specimen has been taken for DNA, and results should be back within three months. With the failure to do that, action needs to be taken."
But the police ministry says it is making headway in tackling the DNA backlog. It says it's processed over 17 000 court-ready GBV and femicide cases.
Police Minister Bheki Cele released the crime figures from July to September 2022 on Wednesday.
“The DNA specimens at our laboratories as they stand are over 110 000. Out of this figure, 67 905 has been backlog, which has been reduced significantly."
