I have been doing a lot of reading over these last two weeks. It is my way of keeping up to date with the rapid advances in DNA technology which are taking place throughout the world – reading about these exciting developments instills me with hope, that one day, some day, soon, we too in South Africa will be able to publish our DNA ‘journey of advancement’ for other developing countries to read, admire and follow. There is so much information out there and so many exciting advances happening in this arena, all whilst we patiently wait for our Parliamentarians to review and deliberate our own DNA legislation… I have to bite down on my lip  in an effort not to scream out that we should be careful not to wait too long to pass this much needed law, or else we may be risking getting left a little too far behind… And in a country which boasts one of the highest crime rates and lowest conviction rates in the world, this seems a rather in-congruent state of affairs!

But, there is a glimmer of hope – I have heard this week via the DNA helix (as opposed to the grapevine!), that the Portfolio Committee for Police, who were tasked with reviewing the DNA Bill, have been in Pretoria this week on a site visit to the Forensic Lab and that they may be taking a tour overseas some time soon to review and visit other Forensic DNA Labs. The secretary for the PC mentioned that the PC may reconvene on the legislation by the end of February, and it is hoped that the reviewing and touring of the other Labs would be complete by that time, so that they are able to get on with the important task at hand. After all, we are not reinventing the wheel here – DNA Databases and their use as a criminal investigative tool has become the international gold standard for investigating crime, and in a country where crime is one of our biggest problems, it makes sense to cement the legislative framework around which we can make this technology work for us in the most effective manner. (more…)