3 MIN READ

06.10.22

04h00 CAT

Umm Muhammed Umar

Amnesty International South Africa is demanding reliable information on the country’s DNA backlog. The DNA backlog in South Africa has been an ongoing issue for a long time now. The existing backlog at the forensic science lab is denying victims of gender-based violence, femicide, and all crimes that require DNA testing, justice. Radio Islam spoke to Amnesty International’s Sibusiso Khasa.

Khasa said that Amnesty had been receiving contradicting information from both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Police Minister Bheki Cele. He said, “because if you’re looking at this stuff that we’ve been given, you find that when it comes to clearing the particular this particular DNA backlog, you find that the president, during his State of the Nation Address told us that it is now standing at around 58 000 cases – that was originally from 210 cases. And yet, you find that the minister also did confirm that by saying that during the SONA debate that the cases were now under 60 000.” He added that the minister now says that the cases are standing at 154 000. Khasa said, “And you find that other reports that are coming in through the parliament portfolio committee on police, they also indicate that the cases could be close to almost 200 000. That would mean that we are back to the level that we were on last year late last year….so, it is a significant problem that we need to deal with urgently, because this is indeed denying victims of gender-based violence access to justice.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Police had, roughly 6 months ago, announced that the daily backlog would be cleared within six months. The backlog, however, seems to be getting worse. Khasa said that Amnesty was trying to hold the minister accountable. He said, “there’s been no word from the minister, or his offices, as to what’s happening.” Khasa said that various excuses have been made for the backlog, “from issues around budget…… issues around contracts, issues around maintenance.”  He asserted that the SAPS had the answers, the minister in particular. Amnesty has communicated to the minister a demand of exactly how many cases were involved in the backlog, the crime statistics, as well as an immediate clearance of the backlog.