Police Minister Senzo Mchunu firmly refuted allegations of a substantial backlog of forensic exhibits in the South African Police Service (SAPS) laboratories.
This after EFF MP Rebecca Mohlala asked in parliamentary questions about concrete steps the police has taken to address the persistent and massive DNA backlog that continued to delay justice for victims of rape and femicide amid thousands of forensic samples remain unprocessed for years, perpetrators remain at large within communities and affected families are left in a prolonged state of uncertainty.
“How does the SAPS justify the ongoing backlog crisis when the lives and dignity of women urgently depend on timely forensic intervention?” Mohlala asked.
Mchunu said the assertion that there was a persistent and massive backlog of exhibits at the police forensic science laboratory (FSL) was invalid.
“The FSL has had an increase in the volume of exhibits received. Registered case entries for analysis, increased by 63.21% from 307 826 in 2021/22 to 502 407, as at the end of the 2024/25 financial year,” he said.
“A total of 284 529 case entries were finalised during the 2021/22 financial year, and comparatively, the FSL has finalised 358 684 case entries, as at the end of 2024/25 financial year.”
He also said the registered case entries for analysis increased by 118 549 from 2023/24 383 858 to 502 407 in 2024/25.
“A total of 343 973 case entries were finalised during the 2023/24 financial year, and comparatively, the FSL has finalised 358 684 case entries, as at the end of 2024/25 financial year.”
Mchunu said the main contributor to the case exhibits were reference samples used for DNA intelligence purposes.
He pointed out that the police have four forensic science laboratories in the country, of which three are fully operational in Gauteng, Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
“The KwaZulu-Natal laboratory is only partially utilized after flooding in 2022, however, an alternative accommodation solution has been sought, and it is at an advanced stage, which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the FSL.”
The minister stated the process with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure on alternative accommodation for Kwa-Zulu-Natal would be inclusive of the DNA processing Laboratory that was never there before.
There is “on-going discussions with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure on appointment of a permanent contractor to resolve any facility challenges immediately.”
Mchunu also said the SAPS has established a project with the National Prosecuting Authority to ensures the prioritisation of cases for the timely analysis of DNA exhibits as well as ensure the provisioning of the required reports, known as 212 Statement), to prevent the withdrawal of cases due to an outstanding DNA report.
“A total of 55 702 gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF)-related DNA reports were provided for GBVF cases since the commencement of the project, until 31 May 2025. Furthermore, a total of 127 078 DNA reports (212 statements) were generated for other types of offences requiring DNA analysis,” he said.
Asked to justify SAPS’s claim made to the Portfolio Committee on Police that the DNA backlog has been cleared amid continued reports from provinces such as the Northern Cape that unresolved DNA cases were still delaying the delivery of justice, Mchunu said the historical DNA backlog, which once stood at 241 152, increased by 4.33% to 251 603, but was eradicated during 2023.
He also said despite the decline in human capacity, which declined by 4.82% between the 2021/2022 that was recorded at 1 807 and 1720 in 2024/2025 and infrastructural challenges, the forensic laboratories kept on optimising the process for better yield in line with the business value chain.
