The African National Congress should focus on addressing weaknesses in legislation governing the Scorpions instead of seeking to disband the elite investigative unit, the Democratic Alliance said on Tuesday.
DA MPs Diane Kohler -Barnard and Tertius Delport said weaknesses within the Scorpions could easily be addressed through the amendment of current legislation.
”The DA is of the view that the present legislation governing the Scorpions should be amended to remedy the smaller deficiencies in the current structure,” Kohler-Barnard and Delport said in a joint statement.
The two MPs’ comments follow Tuesday’s joint committee meetings between the Safety and Security and Justice and Constitutional Development Departments, where ANC MPs reiterated the ruling party’s intentions to disband the Scorpions.
”The DA is not persuaded that there is any reason whatsoever to do away with a unit with an excellent track record, other than reasons based on political interest,” the DA MPs said.
Disbanding a unit with a 95% success rate was unjustifiable.
”We had hoped that sane heads would prevail on the matter of the Scorpions, but sadly, the ANC has taken the decision that party politics comes before excellence,” Kohler-Barnard and Delport said. – Sapa