PROJECT: CRISIS AT THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE’S FORENSIC SCIENCE LABORATORY
- Isabel Spies
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
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South Africa continues to grapple with one of the highest violent crime rates in the world, with shootings,
murders, and assaults occurring daily.
At the core of this challenge lies a profound crisis within the
South African Police Service (SAPS) Forensic Science Laboratories (FSLs).
These laboratories, essential to the country’s justice system, are buckling under immense pressure due to massive backlogs, severe staff shortages, inadequate resources, and systemic mismanagement.
This failure has crippled criminal investigations and significantly weakened the prosecution of violent offenders.
Mr. Mike Bolhuis, founder and leader of Specialised Security Services (SSS), is a renowned expert in serious, violent,
and organised crime investigations in South Africa. With decades of experience working alongside law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and private sector specialists, Mr. Bolhuis has earned national recognition for his insight
into the country’s most pressing criminal and policing challenges.
In light of the ongoing crisis at the South African Police Service’s Forensic Science Laboratory, Mr. Bolhuis was recently interviewed to share his professional perspective on the systemic failures crippling forensic operations and their devastating impact on the criminal justice system. His analysis underscores the urgent need for accountability, leadership reform,
and the restoration of credibility within the forensic divisions to ensure that justice is served and victims are not failed by institutional inefficiency.
1. THE EXTENT OF THE FORENSIC BACKLOG:
The forensic crisis is both widespread and deeply entrenched.
In March 2025, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police revealed a staggering DNA backlog of over 140,000 cases nationwide.
At the Cape Town FSL, over 28,000 DNA samples have been accumulated over the past 11 months.
Analysts are overwhelmed, completing only about 2,000 cases per month, while receiving an equal or greater number of new cases, ensuring that the backlog remains constant or worsens.
The ballistics unit, crucial for linking firearms to violent crimes, is equally strained.
Brigadier Mishak Mkhabela, Head of the Ballistics Section at the Pretoria Laboratory, testified before the Madlanga Commission that his unit faces a backlog exceeding 41,000 cases.
Only 33 qualified analysts are currently available, which is half the number required.
Pretoria alone has just 16 analysts, when 30 are needed to operate effectively.
2. STAFF SHORTAGES AND THE LOSS OF EXPERTISE:
The shortage of qualified forensic analysts is catastrophic.
Years of administrative delays, poor recruitment, and high turnover have decimated the workforce.
Training new analysts can take up to two years, and the few remaining experts are stretched beyond capacity.
The Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS), used for automated ballistic matching, illustrates the human resource crisis vividly.
Pretoria’s laboratory possesses eight cartridge photographing machines and three bullet photographing machines, yet most remain idle due to insufficient staff.
Analysts can review only around 200 ballistic images per day, with over 28,000 images waiting to be examined — many left unreviewed for more than a year.
Despite the inability to fully utilise this system, SAPS continues to pay R3.8 million monthly in maintenance fees under a service-level agreement.
3. POOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE:
Ineffective resource management compounds the crisis. Laboratories frequently face shortages of essential consumables and reagents required for DNA testing.
Some of these shortages are linked to delays in the government tender system, leaving critical tests undone.
The high cost of DNA testing and the inability to procure chemicals or test kits have brought operations to a near standstill.
Infrastructure deficiencies further undermine operations.
The Pretoria facility, due for an upgrade more than three years ago, remains outdated and under-equipped.
The shortage of operational vehicles restricts fieldwork, as ideally one vehicle should serve every three to four analysts, a target far from being met.
Storage conditions are dire — overcrowded, disorganised, and unsafe.
Evidence rooms have become so packed that a museum had to be repurposed to store more than 29,000 confiscated firearms linked to murder and robbery cases.
Such conditions increase the risk of contamination, misplacement, or evidence degradation.
4. SYSTEMIC MISMANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY FAILURES:
Despite repeated warnings, SAPS leadership has consistently failed to implement meaningful reforms.
Oversight bodies and the Portfolio Committee on Police have condemned the persistent lack of urgency, accountability, and transparency.
The Auditor-General and civil oversight agencies have been urged to launch a comprehensive forensic audit into SAPS’s contract management, procurement processes, and laboratory operations.
According to Chairperson Ian Cameron (March 2025), the audit must expose the depth of financial mismanagement and structural inefficiencies that have eroded the forensic division’s functionality.
5. IMPACT ON JUSTICE AND SOCIETY:
The implications of the forensic backlog extend far beyond laboratory walls — they directly undermine South Africa’s fight against violent crime:
DELAYED AND ABANDONED PROSECUTIONS:
Thousands of criminal cases remain unresolved due to unavailable forensic evidence, enabling offenders to evade justice.
EROSION OF PUBLIC CONFIDENCE:
Victims lose faith in the criminal justice system when forensic results take years to process.
COMPROMISED EVIDENCE INTEGRITY:
Poor storage, contamination, or lost samples weaken cases and lead to acquittals.
INCREASED IMPUNITY FOR VIOLENT OFFENDERS:
Murderers, rapists, and armed robbers remain free, contributing to the country’s staggering murder rate of 45.3 per 100,000 — among the highest globally.
6. SAPS RESPONSE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS:
Under mounting political and public pressure, SAPS has outlined several measures:
FORENSIC SERVICES ACTION PLAN:
Introduced to reduce backlogs and increase productivity, though past implementation failures cast doubt on its efficacy.
2025/26 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN:
Sets higher forensic reporting targets to clear outstanding cases.
IT AUTONOMY:
In October 2025, the Deputy Minister of Police confirmed that SAPS will sever ties with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) to regain control over its forensic IT infrastructure — a move expected to improve operational efficiency.
However, these efforts face scepticism due to years of unfulfilled promises and chronic leadership instability.
Experts, including Mr. Mike Bolhuis of Specialised Security Services (SSS), stress that restoring the integrity of South Africa’s forensic system requires more than new plans — it demands decisive leadership, transparent procurement, and rigorous accountability.
Without this, SAPS will continue to fail victims of violent crime and erode public trust in the justice system.
A national forensic turnaround strategy, combining independent oversight, modernised infrastructure, and specialised recruitment, is essential if South Africa is to restore credibility to its investigative and judicial processes.
The crisis at SAPS’s Forensic Science Laboratories symbolises a broader breakdown in South Africa’s law enforcement infrastructure. The inability to process evidence efficiently has transformed the laboratories from instruments of justice into bottlenecks of impunity. Forensic science is the backbone of credible policing —
and without it, justice is delayed, denied, and ultimately destroyed.
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