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More than R250 million has been set aside for the police to clear a massive DNA testing backlog.
This will include the processing of the National Prosecuting Authority s priority cases.
In November last year, Police Minister Bheki Cele told the Portfolio Committee of Police that the backlog amounted to 117 738 cases.
More than R250 million has been allocated toward efforts to clear a DNA testing backlog.
National police spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili said the R250 million would be allocated to the South African Police Service s baseline budget to prioritise DNA processing, according to the SABC.
This will include the processing of the National Prosecuting Authority s priority cases, Muridili told News24.
Minister Albert Fritz.
GARDEN ROUTE - Successful convictions of local and national rape cases are being severely hampered by a backlog of DNA test results at the government laboratory. So said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila.
And, after George Herald received a number of complaints of long waiting periods for DNA test results and cases being temporarily struck off the roll, it has become clear that the nationwide backlog of approximately 173 000 DNA test results is also affecting rape cases in the Garden Route.
According to Ntabazalila many pending cases where DNA analysis is imperative to the outcome, cannot proceed.
Police Minister Bheki Cele only learnt last week that the police's National Forensic Science Laboratories has not processed any DNA samples for the past two months.