The SAPS is bloated, particularly in senior management, but also in the various divisions/units that have been established that may fit better elsewhere or should not exist at all. Similar to Eskom, it needs to be unbundled. Many of the infrastructure issues and stretched mandate is from trying to centralise and incorporate too many functions that are not central to policing.
From personal experience, forensic services, especially the laboratory based scientific testing aspects, does not belong under SAPS mandate. It has become a political tool for those wanting to establish fiefdoms and play factional power games within the service. Just look at the procurement scandals it has suffered recently and the fallout amongst divisional/national commissioners.
Aside from constitutional demanded fair justice by separation of investigative/evidentiary functions, the institutional constraints severely hamper service delivery to the quality required for the criminal justice system. Better financial management, increased accountability, and better quality scientific evidence may all be achieved by establishing it as organ of state within public administration, but outside of the SAPS command structure.