By Alex Eliseev
Fast-tracked forensic tests have been completed on the underwear of the woman who claims to have been raped by Jacob Zuma - and now the police must establish if the DNA found matches his.
The spotlight in the rape investigation against the African National Congress's deputy president is now set to shift from the complainant to Zuma.
A senior police source on Wednesday confirmed that staff at the Pretoria forensic laboratory worked through the weekend to finish analysing the sample found on the 31-year-old complainant's underwear.
'Eventually I will have to make the decision' Under normal circumstances, with a backlog of samples, testing at the laboratories can take more than four months.
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But this sample, potentially a political bomb, was tested in a matter of days.
The results, the source said, were "positive", meaning the sample proved to be semen.
According to the source, this was enough for the forensic unit to recommend that the investigating officer obtain a control sample from potential suspects - Zuma being the main one following the woman's rape complaint against him.
The forensic team is now looking for "a male profile" who matches the sample.
'The case is at a very sensitive stage' DNA can be obtained from a blood sample or a cheek swab, and the decision now lies with the investigator whether to compel Zuma to submit to a test.
The two samples would then be compared, and could prove to be crucial evidence.
"But you still have to prove all the other elements," the source said. "A lot will depend on how good a witness the woman is in court."
Other limitations could weigh against her: that two days passed before a district surgeon examined the complainant, and that a sample lifted from clothing was not always reliable.
Tests were carried out at the forensic lab in the strictest confidence and few details about the alleged rape were given to the staff.
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