South African Police Service ballistics expert Brigadier Mishak Mkhabela has revealed that roughly 41,846 criminal cases remain stalled in the forensic pipeline, with many relying on critical ballistic evidence that cannot be processed due to staff shortages. Meanwhile, courts continue to issue warrants of arrest.
Speaking before the Madlanga Commission on Monday, Mkhabela painted a picture of a system under severe strain, hindered by insufficient personnel, limited resources, and overflowing evidence storage facilities.
He described desperate measures taken to manage seized firearms, including repurposing a museum that has now reached full capacity. In the police’s main strong room, Mkhabela said there are more than 29,000 firearms at any given time, each linked to a killing, yet only 42 analysts are available to process them.
Of the 41,846 cases awaiting ballistic analysis, 29,385 are in the national office, with 10,643 pending in 2025 alone. The backlog is particularly severe in certain provinces, including 5,196 cases in the Western Cape, 3,710 in KwaZulu Natal, and 2,174 in the Eastern Cape.
The scale of the crisis was illustrated by a diagram presented to the commission, linking firearms used in high profile murders, such as those of Armand Swart, Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka, and Hector “DJ Vintos” Buthelezi, to more than 20 other criminal cases that remain unresolved pending ballistic confirmation.
Mkhabela admitted that chronic staff shortages and outdated systems have significantly hampered investigations, leaving victims’ families waiting for justice and potentially allowing dangerous offenders to remain at large.
