The appointment was met with surprise and disbelief by a range of sources in the criminal justice sector.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that the Bill abolishing the Scorpions and amalgamating them into a police directorate will dramatically undermine the fight against crime, and against organised crime in particular. "As such, the DA will do all in its power to ensure that the Bill does not become law," the party said on Wednesday.

Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula on Tuesday gave the assurance that all cases currently under investigation by the Directorate of Special Operations, or Scorpions, will be finalised. "There is not a single case that was investigated by the Scorpions, which is under investigation now by the Scorpions, that will not be finalised.