Deputy Speaker, hon Minister and members of the House, this Bill aims to contribute to the work of detectives and to improve the apprehension and conviction of criminals, especially rapists who appear to commit crimes against woman and children with impunity.
It will greatly assist with finding missing children and reuniting them with their families, as well as speeding up the identification of victims and missing persons after a major disaster.
In addition, it will eliminate the presence of criminals who are being assimilated into the Police Service, as they will now be identified immediately by their DNA. The IFP encourages the department to employ suitably qualified people in order to fulfil these tasks, as this is a highly skilled science which requires capable people in order to be effective.
The board of ethics must realise that its principle mandate is to investigate matters of impropriety, and it should be aware of the fact that it can be challenged if it neglects to do its work properly. The budget allocated must be properly ring-fenced to ensure that this money is not used for purposes other than forensics.
Once this Bill is passed, it should speed up the work of the detectives, improve their investigation capabilities and assist them in finalising cases without delay. The IFP hopes that the current forensic backlog will be a thing of the past and that soon the courts will no longer have to wait for years for DNA results before cases can be finalised.
The management of the SAPS must take into account the findings of the board of ethics and act on them.
This Bill before us is dedicated to the many victims of crime, who have to sit in courts and relive the trauma that they have been through. During the public hearing, we had one special submission from a young woman who was gang-raped and who shared her story with us. We appreciated her honesty, the tenderness and dedication.
She took a decision not to sit in the corner and let the horrible events that happened to her get her down; instead she started a foundation, speaking to women about rape and the importance of coming forward and speaking out.
It is to people like her - and it is to the families of the loved ones left behind - that we want to say: This is for you; this Bill is for you. [Applause.]