Pippa Hudson speaks to director of DNA for Africa, Vanessa Lynch, about the importance of DNA evidence in the fight against crime in the country.
One of the biggest developments of the 21st century has been the rapid expansion of the use of DNA samples to solve and fight against criminal activities.
South Africa is a little late to the party, with guest and director of DNA for Africa, Vanessa Lynch, fighting for 20 years for the country to have a decent DNA criminal database following a personal tragedy.
Though slow to start and a withdrawal of funding that led to cases being backlogged, Lynch notes that the country is moving in the right direction.
The government has really come to the party, so to speak. They have allocated more funding, they've started building a new laboratory in the Eastern Cape, which is state of the art and should be finished next year, they've committed to a zero backlog by November 2021... contracts have been fulfilled, we're starting to see more hits on the database again, and we're moving in the right direction. Vanessa Lynch, director - DNA for Africa
This is excellent news because, as Lynch mentions, DNA evidence is one of the strongest and most reliable sources of evidence we can use.
Listen here: https://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/448370/why-the-expansion-of-dna-evidence-usage-in-sa-will-help-curb-crime