When a rape survivor endures the trauma of a forensic examination, the DNA evidence collected is sent to a SAPS forensic laboratory. When a murder victim is found, scene evidence follows the same path. The expectation is that this evidence will be processed, analyzed, and made available to prosecutors to secure convictions. The reality is that more than 140,000 cases sit unprocessed.
Parliamentary written replies confirm that key DNA analysis instruments have been broken since 2020 — four years of degrading capability. Reagent supply chain failures compound the problem: even functional instruments cannot process samples without the chemical reagents required for analysis. The combination of broken equipment and missing supplies has created a backlog that grows faster than the remaining capacity can clear it.
The human cost is measured in impunity. Every unprocessed rape kit is a rapist walking free. Every unanalyzed murder scene is a killer who will never face trial. The 140,000-case backlog translates directly into 140,000 cases where justice is delayed or denied. In a country with one of the world's highest rates of violent crime, the forensic system that should support prosecution has effectively collapsed.