Non-profit organisation Action Society has dismissed the DNA backlog numbers provided by Police Minister Bheki Cele as misleading and not being an accurate reflection of the actual backlog faced.
CAPE TOWN – Non-profit organisation Action Society has dismissed the DNA backlog numbers provided by Police Minister Bheki Cele as misleading and not being an accurate reflection of the backlog faced.
The organisation said there were about 18,000 new entries monthly and that it was impossible to bring down the total backlog, adding that the office was ring-fencing the original total from last year and not considering new cases.
Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen reported on Sunday that the DNA backlog at the provincial police Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) showed a reduction from 25,290 in August to 15,259 last month, a reduction of 10,031 in the backlog.
Allen said this meant that since October 1 last year, when the backlog stood at 89,158, the FSL had worked through 73,899 samples.
Meanwhile, Minister Cele recently revealed that the country’s DNA backlog stands at 37,715 for sexual offences at the police forensic science laboratories.
Cele was responding to DA MP Andrew Whitfield’s written question about the number of backlog cases that were sexual offence-related, after it said in October that the DNA backlog at police laboratories was reduced from 241,000 to 71,000.
Action SA community safety director Ian Cameron said this was misleading, as there was a minimum of 900 new entries of samples every day.
“What the police have done, specifically the police minister’s office, is that they ring-fenced the original amount, meaning they only think of the original backlog amount from last year, which was 300,000, and are only focusing on bringing down that backlog, and are not considering new cases that come in every day.
“It’s very misleading of them to give these numbers because they are only giving or focusing on the ring-fenced amount and not new cases.
“I’m glad they are making progress, but I don’t think it’s wise to say that we commend them for making progress, because the reporting that’s made to the public is certainly not a true reflection of what’s really happening,” he said.
Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said it was concerning that the DNA tests had not ultimately resulted in an increased number of convictions of GBV-related cases.
He said the 3% provincial conviction rate of GBV-related crimes meant that 97% of perpetrators got away with murder.
Allen said as much as the progress was promising at the provincial FSL, the continued backlog remained deeply concerning. He said the FSL should have all the required resources, equipment and relevant material so that this backlog can be eradicated by the end of this year.
