By Johnathan Paoli
The Portfolio Committee on Police has called for a systematic overhaul of South Africa’s forensic services, saying the ongoing DNA backlog crisis is due to mismanagement rather than a lack of facilities.
Committee chair Ian Cameron was responding to comments made by the SA Police Service Forensic Science Laboratory head Tshilidzi Mulaudzi, who suggested that the backlog could be resolved by establishing more forensic laboratories across the country.
“The views held by Major-General Mulaudzi obfuscates the current challenges and provide unrealistic solutions within the South African context. The SAPS must deal with systematic issues that affect the FSL currently and not seek pie-in-the-sky solutions that cannot be achieved within the current fiscal challenges faced by the country,” Cameron said.
The chair dismissed the department’s approach as unrealistic within the country’s current fiscal constraints.
The backlog, which has surged to over 140,000 cases, has been attributed to chronic
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