South Africa’s R186m forensic boost questioned as DNA backlog exceeds 228,000

The R186 million in funding announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is under scrutiny as South African police laboratories had 228,017 DNA entries past their processing deadlines, out of 298,710 entries on hand. The overdue entries had been waiting an average of about 800 days. At October parliamentary oversight hearings, the National Forensic Oversight and Ethics Board said only 3,471 of the 238,707 DNA profiles generated in the 2025/26 financial year were completed within 30 days. Committee chair Ian Cameron criticised procurement failures and unused equipment, warning that they could hinder criminal investigations.