When Brig Linky Mathebula took over as the head of Limpopos Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences FCS unit in 2023, she stepped into a system that was overwhelmed by delayed justice caused by missing DNA evidence.
Across the provinces five districts, dozens of rape and sexual assault cases had been struck off the roll, not because of weak investigations but because DNA evidence was missing or delayed.
She said this often left survivors without justice and perpetrators walking free.