Warren Fortune
AN 18-month backlog for unprocessed road user blood-alcohol tests from forensic labs is preventing the delivery of swift justice.
Transport and Public Works MEC Donald Grant said there were 15 000 unprocessed blood samples, causing offenders to get off the hook as evidence was not available.
“We have to rely on the national Department of Health to do these tests as they are in control of these facilities and we are simply not getting any results.
“In August, a national figure was released showing that there were 34 000 unprocessed samples, 15 000 of which were from the Western Cape. Why do we have 45 percent of these samples? It is shocking.”
Grant said that if people were not held responsible and did not suffer the consequences for their actions, they would not stop and deaths would continue to happen. “We have already seen an example of this where 20 cases were removed from the Bishop Lavis Court because results were not submitted in time.”
Independent forensic expert Dr David Klatzow blames incompetence for the lack of delivery. “This whole situation we are in is a complete disaster.”
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, said the city was in negotiations with National Health Labs and the department for Community Safety to start a mobile lab to do on-site testing.