Police 'crime-busting unit' to replace Scorpions?

A Brief History of the Scorpions (from 1999 till yesterday)

In June 1999, president Thabo Mbeki announced that “a special and adequately staffed and equipped investigative unit will be established urgently, to deal with all national priority crime, including police corruption”. In September 1999 The Directorate of Special Operations was set up, with the first director Frank Dutton.

Soon, the Scorpions became notorious for their raids of houses of high-ranking politicians within the ANC Party. Following investigations of alleged corruption in case of the South African Arms Deal, raids were commenced at the houses of Deputy President Jacob Zuma, former Transport Minister Mac Maharaj and Durban businessman Schabir Shaik.

After the conviction of Shaik on 8 June 2005, the Scorpions raided his house again on 18 August. This time it was part of a couple of raids in investigation for the corruption trial of Zuma, which started in October 2005. Raids were also conducted at houses of Jacob Zuma himself. These raids were heavily criticized by COSATU, accusing that the NPA and the judicial system are capable of being manipulated and influenced to take biased political decisions and actions. Just a few days before the raids, the COSATU had asked the government to drop charges against former Deputy President Jacob Zuma and to reinstate him.

The DSO pioneered a new approach, which combines intelligence, investigation and prosecution. With the DSO’s success in high-profile cases, public confidence grew in the Directorate’s ability to impact on organised crime. Money laundering and racketeering were added to its priorities and the DSO succeeded in obtaining the first-ever convictions for racketeering in South Africa.

By February 2004, the DSO had completed 653 cases, comprising 273 investigations and 380 prosecutions.

Of the 380 prosecutions, 349 resulted in convictions, representing an average conviction rate of 93,1%.

After allegations of corruption, the ANC decided to merge the Scorpions with the Police by June 2008, reducing their power. The disbandment was recommended by South Africa’s minister of safety and security, Charles Nqakula.

Where are we now?

The ANC wishes to incorporate the Scorpions into SAPS, thus robbing the people of South Africa from a truly independent agency that has proved a very effective protector of our tax bucks.

“The view that the government is disbanding the Scorpions to protect ANC members is given further credence by the fact that the Speaker of Parliament, Baleka Mbete, has announced that she will hurry the legislation through Parliament by June this year. This calls into question her ability to carry out her parliamentary role impartially while holding high political office in the ruling party” Helen Zille DA

“A clear political pattern is emerging - institutions and bodies that pose any kind of formidable obstacle to the exercise of unbridled power are attacked and undermined by politicians in the ANC. This applies not only to the Scorpions, but also to the judiciary and the media. The freedoms, equality and dignity guaranteed to all our people in our constitution are being undermined.

The proposed disbanding of the Scorpions must be seen for what it is: an unscrupulous attempt to centralise naked power in the hands of ANC politicians and their cadres deployed in the management echelons of the police.

It is in the interests of preserving democracy and the values enshrined in our constitution to vigorously resist in every lawful way, politically and legally, the dissolution of the Scorpions.” Professor George Devenish, Durban

NPA’s conviction rate at 85.9%

Scorpions will be disbanded - Nqakula

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