Advocacy group Lifeline says South Africa’s DNA backlog is crippling the justice system’s ability to successfully prosecute rape perpetrators.
On Wednesday, Police Minister Bheki Chele revealed in quarterly crime statistics that between July and September this year, police opened more than 10,000 rape cases.
Chelle says the DNA backlog is down to 71,000 from just over 240,000.
Chelle says the DNA backlog will be cleared by January 2023
However, Lifeline’s Director of Advocacy, Sinikiwe Biela, says these figures are not a true reflection of the challenges faced by women and children.
“The DNA backlog is a huge challenge to successful prosecutions, and it’s actually a road block for survivors to get the justice they deserve with the clients we work with. We have clients who have waited three or four years to get their DNA test results.”
Below is Sinikiwe Biyela’s full interview on Lotus Fm’s Newsbreak programme:
Lisa Wetten
