Overview
- Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi gave a public update on Sunday saying the province has 67 directives across five workstreams with 21 completed, 38 underway and eight not started.
- The province has deployed 1 022 GBVF response teams across 122 high-risk areas and sent extra support to the 10 police stations with the highest rape caseloads to improve investigations and intake.
- Crime kits were recovered from Thuthuzela Care Centres across all five districts and submitted to the Forensic Science Laboratory, and investigating officers must now take kits to medical exams to avoid lost evidence.
- An Identification Task Team is conducting a digital fingerprint audit and priority DNA and forensic samples have been secured, but Gauteng still lacks a forensic backlog baseline and age profiling that are targeted for completion by early November.
- The push follows a national directive from President Cyril Ramaphosa after a string of murders in Ekurhuleni and seeks to speed prosecutions by improving evidence management and intergovernmental coordination.