Forensic science practitioners in disciplines such as crime scene investigation, forensic pathology, fingerprint analysis, DNA and molecular biology, digital forensics, chemistry and seized drugs among others, converged at the University of Pretoria recently for the South African Academy of Forensic Sciences (SAAFS) Conference 2024.

The two-day conference was in partnership with the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Health Sciences, and the second day of the conference was aimed at scholars and university students eager to explore opportunities in the field of forensic science.

“Forensic science in South Africa is alive and well, there are lots of opportunities in the public sector and in the private sector,” said Dr Stefan Jansen van Vuuren, the SAAFS Chairperson.

“The sector is also growing on the Africa continent, that’s why we have today's programme. As students and scholars in the field, you are part of that growth,” Dr van Vuuren said.

Dr Bathabile (Thabi) Soul, a forensic pathologist at the Pretoria Forensic Pathology Services and lecturer at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Forensic Medicine, was among the academics who spoke about the forensic science programme offerings at South African universities.

She explained that this field of study is referred to as medical criminalistics at UP “because we understand the fact that forensic medicine is the interface between law as well as science.”

Dr Soul warned prospective students against underestimating the academic rigour required to succeed in this line of work. She said many are initially drawn to studying forensic science based on how the profession is publicised through the media and documentaries, which doesn’t present the entire picture.

“Over and above understanding what forensic science is about when it comes to the studying it, students tend to miss the idea that it is quite intensive in terms of the coursework content. You have to be prepared to actually put in a lot of work in studying for it.”

She said over and above the traditional career paths in the field where the employers tend to be in the criminal justice system, the South African Police Services (SAPS) in particular, students needed to be innovative in crafting their own career paths. 

“Even though SAPS may be a major employer, there needs to be innovation in your mind as to what you can do with this degree. We’ve had students who after the completing the BSC honours degree in medical criminalistics, study further into completely different fields. Some students have done LLBs in conjunction with the medical criminalistics and then moved into criminal law, for instance. Other students have moved into information technology and used their BSC to venture into digital forensics.”

Attendees also heard from Dr Antonel Olckers, the founder and CEO of DNAbiotec and former UP academic who also conducted research at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in the USA. She spoke about the pros and cons of the industry, the importance of the practitioners anchoring themselves on the science instead of personal beliefs about who’s guilty or innocent and having a “mental health plan”.

“If you decide to embark on a career in forensic science, the first thing I want to say is if you don't love – and I really mean love – to learn, then go do something else. If you don’t have in your pocket a mental health plan for your career, about how do I manage it; how do I spot the symptoms; do I have a support group; are my colleagues talking about it or are we in denial about the fact that we are embarking on a career with a high risk of exposure to things that can trigger multiple events that may end up in terrible situations of suicide? If you don't love learning and you don't have a mental health plan, I'm sorry to say this is not the field for you.”