The role of rapid DNA testing in SA’s GBV fight

UNMASKING PERPETRATORS

- 

THE rapid analysis of DNA evidence is bringing serial offenders to justice and transforming cold cases into life sentences.

This has been made possible by the work of the NPA’s Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit which developed and implemented the DNA Prioritisation Initiative,specifically targeting gender-based violence (GBV) and serial-crime matters.

Forensic evidence is seen as a potent tool in South Africa’s battle against gender-based violence (GBV), serving as a scientific ‘slam-dunk’ capable of unmasking perpetrators who are unknown to their victims.

Among those that have been captured as a result of the initiative is serial rapist Sihle Makaula who was sentenced to four life terms and 63 years’ imprisonment in the Western Cape after his DNA linked him to a series of crimes across separate dockets.

But as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) celebrates this and other high-profile wins, civil society cautions that these victories are inconsistent, arguing that rapid DNA is ineffective without tackling the massive backlog and structural failures plaguing the police forensics laboratories.

NPA spokesperson Bulelwa Makeke confirmed that the initiative, in partnership with the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory, was established to expedite DNA reports needed for court.

“Since the initiative’s inception until 28 October 2025, 63, 360 DNA reports were received and distributed to NPA divisions for use in court,’ Makeke said.

These reports, she added, have been used to identify and prosecute serial offenders, strengthen trial preparation, reduce delays, and ultimately improve case finalisation rates.

DNAs ability to link unrelated crimes and identify previously unknown offenders is transforming cold cases into convictions.