Initially, police arrested 82 people, but it later emerged in court that more than 20 suspects were minors whose cases have since been transferred to the children's court. On Wednesday, the court postponed the case due to the outstanding ID parade, which is expected to be concluded by the next appearance on 10 August.
However, experts told News24 there was a possibility the outstanding ID parade would have little success since the men linked to the rape were wearing balaclavas.
"I don't think the ID parade is going to be very successful given the trauma of the victims and the fact that they were wearing balaclavas," Professor Amanda Gouws from the department of political science at the University of Stellenbosch told News24.
Gouws told News24 the police were likely to have a better chance of identifying the culprits through DNA tests:
I would think that the DNA evidence should rather be spread out so that they analyse that DNA evidence and try to match it to the people they have arrested.
Mawela said the results of the DNA tests would be prioritised.
"For now, until we get the results from the forensic [department], we cannot say that there is a link, so we will wait for that process to unfold, and we will be guided by that."
Echoing Gouw's response, gender expert Lisa Vetten previously told News24 the fact so many suspects were arrested meant the culprits had not been identified.
"It's only the DNA that will tell who is responsible for the rapes. These men wore balaclavas therefore, we can't do the ID parades under these circumstances," she said at the time.