President Thabo Mbeki has appointed Judge Sisi Khampepe of the Witwatersrand Division of the High Court to head a commission which will assess whether the Scorpions should fall under the Justice Department — or under the Department of Safety and Security.
The Scorpions — known officially as the Directorate of Special Operations — currently falls under the umbrella of the Justice Department.
Cabinet spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe said on Thursday that the Cabinet was briefed on the process towards the appointment of the one-person commission on the Directorate of Special Operations.
“The commission will among other issues, examine the rationale behind the establishment of the directorate, its mandate and relationship with other security and intelligence agencies, how to strengthen integrated efforts against organised crime and options regarding the appropriate location of the directorate.”
The president, he said, in consultation with the ministerial co-ordinating committee set up under the National Prosecution Authority Act, had “appointed Judge Khampepe to head the commission”.
Netshitenzhe expected the work of the commission to be completed in four months. – I-Net Bridge