Algoa FM News
The Police Minister, Bheki Cele, says the backlog in DNA testing that has been hampering the administration of justice has been cleared.
Cele was speaking to the media on Friday during the release of the Third Quarter crime statistics for the 2022/2023 financial year.
He said as of 16 February, the DNA backlog which was initially over 241 000 now stood at 1 600.
“This is a 99.3% reduction in the country’s DNA backlog figures.”
He says the government had completed the building and capacitation of the laboratory in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, which will drastically relieve pressure from the Western Cape laboratory going forward.
This week, premier, Oscar Mabuyane visited the forensic laboratory which boasts the new R 80 million DNA testing facility.
The facility will be operational from April this year and will assist the province's law enforcement agencies in fast-tracking crime investigations.
Meanwhile, the DA's Andrew Whitfield says Cele’s comments on DNA are more than likely another promise.
“Minister Cele has repeatedly missed his own deadlines in the reduction of DNA and is yet to produce the evidence that they have reduced the backlog to that amount, if it is true then it is welcomed.
Whitfield says Cele must be clear about which DNA backlog he is referring to as there are two different categories of backlogs.
"The one is the current backlog, of current cases and the other is a ring-fenced backlog from over 18 months ago.
"The minister needs to be clear in his communication, and provide evidence of this before we celebrate."
