Herald Reporter
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care wants a DNA forensic laboratory in Zimbabwe. Director of pathology services in the ministry, Dr Maxwell Hove, said the Health Ministry has since asked the Ministry of Finance to fund the laboratory in next year’s budget. Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa said the lab called for extensive resources.

“Going by what has been set in the private sector, we are looking at not more than US$5 million if we are adding on to an existing laboratory. There will be some ancillary equipment attached to it, but if you talk of completely setting up a new feature then its much more than that.”
Zimbabwe has to send DNA profiling requests to South Africa.

Dr Hove said there was need for legal clarity to allow tests in Zimbabwe and this should soon be in place.
The laboratory would also help in fighting crime.

Musasa Project director Ms Netty Musanhi said a DNA forensic laboratory would provide ready answers to some outstanding criminal and civil cases.
Her organisation helps victims of domestic violence and disputes. One problem that DNA profiling would resolve would be disputed paternity. Men with interim orders need DNA evidence to convince themselves they are the father or convince the court they are not.

Foreign tests are expensive, but a domestic facility would allow speedy resolution of such disputes.
A senior police officer, who preferred anonymity, said the move was welcome as it would help in solving most of their outstanding cases.
“It would be helpful in solving cases where there would be complications of identification. In the region, I think Zimbabwe is the only country without DNA experts within the force. We only have forensic experts,” he said.

The senior cop said that was why people were urged to move around with their identification documents to make it easy to identify them in such cases.
DNA profiling (also called testing, typing, or genetic fingerprinting) is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals using their genetic profiles.

South Africa has four DNA forensic laboratories in Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.

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