SAPS alarming forensics backlog hampers justice for desperate families

STAFF shortages, insufficient resources, and overflowing evidence storage facilities are some of the reasons 41 846 criminal cases remain stuck in the forensic pipeline, says SAPS ballistics expert, Brigadier Mishak Mkhabela. 

Testifying before the Madlanga Commission on Monday, Mkhabela painted a picture of a system buckling under pressure, saying: “We have repurposed a museum, and even that is full. ” He was referring to the desperate measures taken to store seized firearms.

“In our strong safe, at any given point, I have more than 29 000 firearms each linked to a killing. We only have 42 analysts.”

According to Mkhabela, 41 846 cases were awaiting ballistic analysis, including 29 385 from the national office, with 10 643 still pending in 2025 alone.

The Western Cape accounts for 5196 cases, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) for 3710, and the Eastern Cape for 2174 — a collective reflection of a deepening backlog that threatened the delivery of justice nationwide.

The scale of the crisis was underscored by a diagram presented to the commission, linking firearms used in the murders of Armand Swart, Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka, and Hector “DJ Vintos” Buthelezi to over 20 other criminal cases — all awaiting ballistic confirmation.

Mkhabela admitted that the chronic staff shortage and outdated systems have severely compromised investigations, leaving families of victims in limbo and potentially allowing dangerous offenders. 

Swart, a Vereeniging engineer was gunned down on April 17, 2025, in a case of mistaken identity. The hitmen allegedly mistook Swart for a colleague who had exposed corruption in a tender linked to Transnet. The company Swart worked for had uncovered overpricing of 4650% on small engineering parts at Transnet.

Controversial businessman Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe was charged with Swart’s murder, alongside three alleged hitmen, Warrant Officer Michael Pule Tau, Musa Kekana, and Tiego Floyd Mabusela.

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry is investigating allegations of collusion and corruption between politicians, senior police, prosecutors, intelligence operatives, and elements of the judiciary, levelled by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

*Additional reporting by Gcwalisile Khanyile

Cape Times