OUR MISSION EXPLAINED IN 5 STEPS
Our goal is to help find solution based action in the fight against crime.
Through our experienced forensic DNA experts and key opinion leaders, we offer the data and policy information needed to make DNA database strategy decisions in the following ways:
PODCAST SERIES
Vanessa Lynch, Regional Director of DNAforAfrica as she talks about the mission behind DNAforAfrica and her thoughts on how Africa can benefit from using DNA and DNA Databases to solve crime and assist victims of crime and GBV.
PODCAST SERIES
Vanessa Lynch, Regional Director of DNAforAfrica as she talks about the mission behind DNAforAfrica and her thoughts on how Africa can benefit from using DNA and DNA Databases to solve crime and assist victims of crime and GBV.
PODCAST SERIES
Vanessa Lynch, Regional Director of DNAforAfrica as she talks about the mission behind DNAforAfrica and her thoughts on how Africa can benefit from using DNA and DNA Databases to solve crime and assist victims of crime and GBV.
6#AFF 2026 WORKSHOPS
Please note that the workshops run in parallel, so participants can attend only one session
Experience the power of seamless sample preparation with our Sep&Prep Demonstration featuring the EZ2 Connect Fx, designed to support efficient workflows for forensic and human identification laboratories. This session highlights automated extraction methods tailored for sexual assault casework, where reliability, sensitivity, and traceability are essential. Participants will see the instrument’s intuitive interface, chemistries, and robust documentation features in action. Whether you're aiming to enhance throughput or strengthen consistency in complex casework, this demonstration showcases how the EZ2 Connect Fx can elevate your extraction processes.
Are you ready to see how cutting‑edge DNA technology can transform forensic science across Africa? Join us for a special TrueAllele® workshop, presented by the system’s inventor, Dr. Mark Perlin, and supported live online by the Cybergenetics team. What to Expect Using real African case examples, Dr. Perlin will demonstrate how the TrueAllele® probabilistic genotyping system can: Solve complex DNA mixtures that traditional methods cannot Deliver accurate, objective results—even with limited or degraded samples Strengthen forensic capabilities across the continent Support justice systems with science-driven, defensible evidence Experience TrueAllele® in Action While attendees won’t be operating the software during this session, Cybergenetics will be online to provide live demonstrations of the system’s capabilities. Interested in hands‑on training? You’ll have the opportunity to sign up for future practical sessions. Why Attend? Learn directly from the technology’s creator Understand how TrueAllele® is already impacting real cases Discover opportunities for implementing advanced DNA analysis in your own region
This workshop introduces participants to Rapid DNA technology and its practical application in forensic and law-enforcement contexts. Using the Applied Biosystems RapidHIT ID System, the session will demonstrate how forensic DNA profiles can be generated in as little as 90 minutes, in a wide range of operational settings, and without the need for specialised laboratory infrastructure or technical expertise.
Participants will learn how enhanced Rapid DNA investigative lead solutions can support time-critical decision-making during the early stages of an investigation. The workshop will explore how Rapid DNA programmes are being used to generate actionable leads, exclude suspects, accelerate investigative workflows, and support public safety.
The session will include discussion of operational considerations, deployment scenarios, and the role of Rapid DNA in complementing traditional forensic laboratory processes, drawing on current applications supported by Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Among the most devastating consequences of armed conflict are family separation, people going missing, and a failure by parties to armed conflict to treat the dead with dignity and to return them to their families. All too often, families of those who went missing as a result of armed conflict continue to live with uncertainty for years or even decades after the end of active hostilities, afforded neither closure of mourning nor a reason to stop hoping that their missing loved one will one day return. International Humanitarian Law (IHL) sets out obligations for parties to armed conflict to prevent and respond to missing persons and their families, and the dignified management of the dead. Yet, what is still lacking is adequate awareness of the law, and an understanding of practical measures to implement the relevant obligations that address measures to prevent and respond to missing persons in armed conflict, the dignified management of the dead, and families right to know the fate of their relatives. This workshop aims to create awareness among forensic academia and researches with respect to the IHL obligations towards the missing, the dead and their families. By bridging law and forensic practice, this workshop explores the applicable IHL obligations towards the missing and their families and the dignified management of the dead, and how these obligations find practical application in different types of armed conflict, be that International or non-International armed conflicts. This workshop will benefit forensic science students and postgraduates with a research focus or interest in humanitarian forensic action, human identification, or management of the dead.
6#AFF 2026 PRESENTERS | EXPERTS | PANELISTS
Mr Friday Musangu
Forensic Scientist
INFO
Ms Beatrice Phiri
Laboratory Assistant
INFO
Dr Sarah Forbes-Robertson
Lecturer and Researcher
INFO
Mrs Vonita Thompson
Director Forensic Pathology Service
INFO
Prof Bruce Budowle
Forensic Medicine,Uni. of Helsinki
INFO
Day 1 - Wednesday 18 March
Morning: Students, early-career research, variable forensic and DNA topics
Afternoon: Workshops
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
08h00 - 08h30 [30mins]
Registration and exhibition
OFPI, Foyer
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
08h30 - 08h40 [10mins]
Welcome
Prof Laura Heathfield,
Dr Vanessa Lynch
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
08h40 - 08h55 [15mins]
Session 1:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
Mass Fatality Incidents, Conflict and Migration: the value of scarification and tribal markings in forensic casework
Ms Tumisang T. Mbedzi
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
09h00 - 09h10 [10mins]
Session 1:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
Strengthening forensic science practice in police-based laboratories: exploring role conflict
Mr Simbarashe Kaneunyenye
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
09h15 - 09h30 [15mins]
Session 1:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
Introducing the Stellenbosch Face Database
Dr Elysia Greenway
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
09h35 - 09h50 [15mins]
Session 2:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
A potential high-throughput fully automatable differential DNA extraction method: a proof-of-concept study on mock sexual offence samples
Ms Amy-Leigh Whittaker
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
09h55 - 10h05 [10mins]
Session 2:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
Advancing the Interpretation of Complex DNA Mixtures in Zambian Forensic Casework through TrueAllele
Mr Friday Musangu
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
10h10 - 10h25 [15mins]
Session 2:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
Impact of Reporting Timelines on Forensic DNA Outcomes in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Cases in Zambia
Mr Chanda Bwalya
OFPI, Auditorium
[Virtual]
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
10h30 - 10h40 [10mins]
Session 2:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
Forensic DNA Analysis and the Processing of Sexual Assault Cases in Zambia: An Assessment of Case Status and Systemic Challenges
Ms Beatrice Phiri
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
10h45 - 11h15 [30mins]
Tea Break and exhibition
OFPI, Boardroom & Outdoor Area
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
11h15 - 11h30 [15mins]
Session 3:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
DNA evidence at wildlife crime scenes: observations from white rhino poaching scenes in northern KwaZulu-Natal
Mrs Chandra Finaughty
OFPI, Auditorium
[Virtual]
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
11h35 - 11h45 [10mins]
Session 3:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
‘Biological sex’ and ‘Gender’ in forensic genetics literature: a systematic review
Ms Thobeka Nkheloane
OFPI, Auditorium
[Virtual]
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
11h50 - 12h05 [15mins]
Session 3:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
Digital PCR: A Novel Approach to Body Fluid Identification
Mr Michael Menear
OFPI, Auditorium
[Virtual]
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
12h10 – 12h25 [15 mins]
Session 3:
STUDENT AND EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS
Familial searching utilising national forensic DNA databases to aid identification
Ms Rhona Singh
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
12h30 – 13h00 [30 mins]
Interactive session: Myth busters
Adv. Vaughn Rossouw
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
13h00 – 13h45 [45 mins]
Lunch and exhibition
OFPI, Boardroom & Outdoor Area
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
13h45 - 16h45 [180mins]
Parallel session
WORKSHOPS
4. International humanitarian law and the protection of the dead in armed conflict
Adv. Vaughn Rossouw
- International Committee of the Red Cross
OFPI, Conference room
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
13h45 - 16h45 [180mins]
Parallel session
WORKSHOPS
2. TrueAllele workshop (48 pax)
Dr Mark Perlin
- CyberGenetics
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
13h45 - 16h45 [180mins]
Parallel session
WORKSHOPS
1. Sep&Prep hands-on workshop (8 pax)
Ms Nosipho Sithole
- QIAGEN
OFPI, DNA Extraction Laboratory
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
13h45 - 16h45 [180mins]
Parallel session
WORKSHOPS
3. Rapid DNA Solutions - Because Every Minute Counts (16 pax)
Ms Parmowtee Goodur,
Ms Melanie Alfama
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
OFPI, Boardroom
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
EVENTS
Day 2 - Thursday 19 March
Focus: Frameworks, human identification, sexual offences, applied practice
08h00 - 08h30 [30mins]
Registration and Exhibition
OFPI, Foyer
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
08h30 - 08h40 [10mins]
Welcome and Recap Day 1
Dr Vanessa Lynch,
Prof. Laura Heathfield
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
08h40 - 08h50 [10mins]
Session 1:
FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
20th Anniversary of the Forensic Pathology Service
Mrs Vonita Thompson
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
08h50 - 09h10 [20mins]
Session 1:
FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
Science for Justice in Forensic Human Identification (S4J) initiative
Dr Kathryn Smith
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
09h15 – 09h30 [15 mins]
Session 1:
FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
A case series of successful identifications achieved by the new UCT/OFPI Molecular Forensics Laboratory
Dr Donna-Lee Martin
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
09h35 - 10h05 [30mins]
Session 1:
FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
Panel discussion: Academic discourse
- Is it ethical to use unidentified human deceased individuals in research?
PANEL LEAD:
Prof Laura Heathfield
PANELISTS:
Prof. Aaron Amaknwaa,
Prof. Marion Mutugi,
Dr Sarah Forbes-Robertson
OFPI, Auditorium Panel Lead - in person / Panelists - virtual
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
10h05 - 10h15 [10mins]
Session 1:
FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
Hosting IAFS2029 in Africa
Dr Antonel Olckers
OFPI, Auditorium
[Virtual]
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
10h15 - 10h45 [30mins]
Tea Break
OFPI, Boardroom & Outdoor Area
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
10h45 - 11h05 [20mins]
Session 2:
HUMAN IDENTIFICATION AND DATABASES
The ICRC’s Military Personnel Identification Project: Implementing measures to prevent soldiers from becoming unaccounted for on the battlefield
Adv. Vaughn Rossouw
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
11h10 – 11h25 [15 mins]
Session 2:
HUMAN IDENTIFICATION AND DATABASES
Advancing forensic identification science for collective impact
Mr Wilhelm Fouche
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
11h30 – 11h50 [20 mins]
Session 2:
HUMAN IDENTIFICATION AND DATABASES
The impact of forensic DNA investigative leads in criminal investigations
Dr Joe H Smith
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
11h55 – 12h10 [15 mins]
Session 2:
HUMAN IDENTIFICATION AND DATABASES
The medico-legal investigation of death and the Forensic Pathology Service in South Africa: Historical perspectives with an eye on the future
Dr Gert Saayman
OFPI, Auditorium
[Virtual]
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
12h15 – 12h35 [20 mins]
Session 2:
HUMAN IDENTIFICATION AND DATABASES
TrueAllele for Africa
Dr Mark Perlin
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
12h35 - 13h00 [25mins]
Interactive session: Quiz
Adv. Vaughn Rossouw
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
13h00 - 14h00 [60mins]
Lunch and exhibition
OFPI, Boardroom & Outdoor Area
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
14h00 - 14h10 [10mins]
Session 3:
VENDOR PRESENTATIONS
Development of an automated EZ2 Connect Fx sexual assault processing workflow
Ms Nosipho Sithole
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
14h10 - 14h20 [10mins]
Session 3:
VENDOR PRESENTATIONS
Direct Match Software: Delivering fast, actionable DNA intelligence to help accelerate investigative leads with confidence and security
Ms Jenna van den Munckhof
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
14h30 – 14h45 [15 mins]
Session 4:
LOOKING FORWARD
An investigation of forensic DNA evidence processing for crimes relating to violence against children: towards a continental legislative framework
Ms Gamuchirai Yvonne Tagwireyi
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
14h50 – 15h10 [20 mins]
Session 4:
LOOKING FORWARD
The future of forensic science
Dr Sarah Forbes Robertson
OFPI, Auditorium
[Virtual]
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
15h15 – 15h35 [20 mins]
Session 4:
LOOKING FORWARD
FIGG: current capabilities and cautions
Prof Bruce Budowle
OFPI, Auditorium
[Virtual]
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
15h40 – 16h00 [20mins]
Session 4:
LOOKING FORWARD
From the courtroom: Perspectives from an expert forensic witness
Ret Lt Col. Sharlene Otto
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
16h00 - 16h25 [25mins]
Panel-style Q&A
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
16h25 - 16h30 [5mins]
Thanks and Closing
Dr Vanessa Lynch,
Prof. Laura Heathfield
OFPI, Auditorium
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
16h30 - 20h00
Networking and Exhibition
- Sponsored Braai, Event exhibition
OFPI, Boardroom & Outdoor Area
MAY 21 - Tuesday 2024 | DNA-TRACK day 1
THANK YOU TO OUR VALUED SPONSORS FOR MAKING THIS EVENT POSSIBLE
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