DNA bill should be finalised as DNA helped detain a repeat rapist

A DNA sample linked a man to a previous gang rape in Diepsloot but the implementation of the DNA Bill will make crime fighting easier.

Sep 19, 2022 - 00:42
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DNA bill should be finalised as DNA helped detain a repeat rapist

A repeat offender of rape is behind bars after a DNA sample linked him to a rape case from 2017 which occurred in Diepsloot.

DNA LINKS REPEAT RAPIST BACK IN JAIL

The repeat rapist, Mandulo Moyo, was arrested for a second Diepsloot gang rape, just a month after the first incident.

This after the forensic laboratory matched his buccal swab results with the DNA evidence gathered from the previous rape case, said Action Society.

The Randburg Magistrates Court then sentenced Moyo to life imprisonment, Action Society’s Ian Cameron said.

“We are hopeful that we will see more rapists and murderers end up in prison because of mandatory buccal samples. It is an example of how the DNA Bill effectively supports justice for victims.”

Ian Cameron
DNA
A DNA buccal sample can be used to help find criminals. PHOTO: AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle

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BILL ESSENTIAL IN SOLVING CRIMES

The Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Act came into effect on 31 January 2022. Section 36D(1) of Section 2 of the Act provides that the South African Police Service must take buccal samples of all offenders arrested and formally charged on a schedule 8 offence.

But Action Society calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently sign this bill into law.

Also known as the DNA Bill, this Act will allow the police to take buccal samples of inmates imprisoned on schedule 8 offences outside the initial two years stated in the Act.

It will include an enforcement provision and the amendment enables authorities to use minimum force should a person refuse to have a buccal sample taken.

Currently, 96 785 violent crime offenders have been released on parole since 2016. This is without submitting a DNA sample and are, therefore, not included in the National Forensic DNA Database (NFDD), said Cameron.

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“Convicted offenders use this legal loophole to refuse their buccal samples being taken. Many thousands of samples that would be invaluable in the fight against crime are not being included in the NFDD. Each passing day compounds the situation. The president must urgently finalise the DNA Bill.”