Following Cabinet’s approval earlier this month of the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill, an explanatory summary of the proposed new statute was gazetted on Friday 26 April 2013 (General Notice 435 of Government Gazette 36415) in anticipation of its introduction in Parliament. 
According to the summary, the Bill seeks to provide for the ‘the taking of specified bodily samples’ for forensic purposes, their retention and destruction, as well as for the establishment, administration and maintenance of a national forensic DNA database. With this in mind, it proposes amendments to Criminal Procedure Act 51/1977, South African Police Service Act 68/1995, Firearms Control Act 60/2000 and Explosives Act 15/2003.
We note however that the Bill has yet to be published on either of the websites mentioned in the Gazette.
To read the Government Gazette Notice click on the following link: GG NOTICE 26 APRIL 2013
