Parliament, Friday, 28 March 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Police is bitterly disappointed that, almost nine years after the first flooding incident of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Forensic Science Laboratory (FLS), the South African Police Service, through the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, continues to spend R500 000 per month on a building they cannot fully utilise. The committee visited the FLS lab in Amanzimtoti and held extensive engagements with SAPS senior management on challenges around the FSL as part of its week-long oversight visit to Eastern Cape and KZN.
“It is concerning that there has been no resolution to this perennial problem, which has a direct impact on the staggering 140 000 DNA case backlog in the country. We reiterate that the complete disregard of a critical component such as the Forensic Science Laboratory represents a clear case of dereliction of duty, as the problems are self-inflicted systematic challenges that require good management foresight and planning,” said Mr Ian Cameron, the Chairperson of the committee.
It is unacceptable, according to the committee, that the SAPS face loses of over R70 million every time there is a flooding incident. Even more concerning is the risk posed by the continuous flooding to specialised and expensive equipment used for analysing evidence. “The associated cost of the floods is unquantifiable and way beyond the R70 million given to the committee. This projection does not include the cost to transport evidence from KZN to Pretoria, Gqeberha and Cape Town, but also the cost of paying salaries to scientists that are idle due to the non-availability of a permanent lab,” Mr Cameron emphasised.
The senior management of SAPS reported to the committee that there have been six flooding incidents at the laboratory since 2016 and that discussions have been continuous and non-ending while the monthly rental is paid to the owners of the building. “It is important that there is an investigation to ascertain why the leadership of SAPS have persisted with this unwise, astonishing and incomprehensible decision to continue leasing the wholly inadequate building. There is a smell of corruption with the lease,” Mr Cameron emphasised.
Also, the morale of scientist employed to do the analysis work must be at an all-time low as they cannot attain job satisfaction while not performing duties they are paid for. This is concerning in an environment where there is a severe skills shortage.
The committee reiterates that the backlog means that thousands of victims might never see the justice they are entitled to, while violent criminals remain free to continue terrorising innocent people. The committee has always maintained that DNA evidence represents the only lifeline for rape survivors and other victims of violent crime, yet SAPS’s continued mismanagement of forensic services has created an environment where justice is delayed, denied and outright sabotaged.
The committee has called on the SAPS management and the Department of Public Works to finalise the unending discussions and find a permanent solution to this inexplicable situation to enable the FSL employees to perform their duties and aid the administration of an effective criminal justice system. The committee has resolved to call a joint meeting with the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure in an effort to hold officials accountable for the whole debacle.
Meanwhile, the committee visited the Inanda Police Station and has welcomed the 28.7% reduction in the murder rate in their policing area. While the area has various challenges in combating crime, the committee appreciated that the station was forthright about its shortcomings which, according to the committee, is necessary if solutions are to be found.
The committee raised concern about the high number of licenced liquor premises in the policing area, especially in the context of the link between substance abuse and violent crime. The committee was informed that the policing area has 136 licensed liquor premises and countless other unlicenced establishment that mushroom on a daily basis.
The committee also noted the concern that the policing area is vast, which affects the station’s ability to respond to crimes within the standard response time. Furthermore, challenges are created by the area’s difficult spatial design – poor lighting, poor road infrastructure and limited surveillance technology in hotspot areas make policing difficult. Despite these challenges, the committee was impressed by the commitment shown by all members of the SAPS, the professional attitude to their work and the levels of service they provide, which is encapsulated in the Bathopele principles.
Furthermore, the committee appreciated the collaboration between the SAPS in Inanda and the Community Police Forum. Mr Cameron said that it is only through collaboration that the scourge of crime will be defeated and that Inanda Police Station, despite its challenges, should be a model and standard of what collaboration should look like.
The committee also visited the Ntuzuma Strategic Surveillance Centre, which is near completion, and was impressed by the potential of the CCTV surveillance system to provide a speedy response to acts of crime. The committee has always maintained that the use of ICT can be a force multiplier to reduce crime. The committee has urged the SAPS to incrementally roll out the project to hotspot areas.
The committee will today conclude its visit to KZN with a visit to Verulam and Durban Central police stations to assess implementation of their policing strategy in efforts to reduce crime.
Details of the meeting
Date: Friday, 28 March 2025
Time: 09:00
Venue: Verulam Police Station
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON POLICE, MR IAN CAMERON.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairpersons, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
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