Bongi Gwala spoke to Gauteng health spokesperson Madeleine Hicklin about South Africa’s crippling forensic backlog, with nearly 140 000 DNA and toxicology cases stuck in mortuaries and labs. The crisis is delaying justice, stalling prosecutions, and leaving grieving families without closure. Hicklin unpacked the scale of the problem, its impact on victims and communities, and what urgent steps are needed to restore trust in the justice and health systems.