The government will look at ways in which members of the Scorpions performing police functions can be absorbed into the police, spokesperson Themba Maseko said on Tuesday.
The African National Congress (ANC) decided last weekend that members of the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) performing police functions should be absorbed into the South African Police Service (SAPS) by June this year
Maseko said the ANC’s decision will be discussed at a Cabinet lekgotla (meeting) taking place this week.
”Government is going to take that into account and then prepare its plan about how that decision will be implemented,” he said. ”The matter will be a subject of discussion at the lekgotla and future meetings of government with a view to putting measures in place to implement that decision.”
The ANC’s national executive committee ”urgently resolved” that the Scorpions be absorbed into the SAPS.
Criticism
Opposition parties have dismissed the move, saying the ANC is trying to protect its members from facing corruption charges by disbanding the Scorpions.
Democratic Alliance leader and Cape Town mayor Helen Zille said on Monday that besides the seven convicted criminals on the ANC’s NEC, six NEC members are currently the subject of criminal investigations. At least two of these are currently being investigated by the Scorpions.
”Ngoako Ramatlhodi is being investigated by the Scorpions for allegedly being a secret shareholder in a company that received a multimillion-rand tender from the Limpopo provincial government when he was premier of the province,” Zille said. ”Another ANC NEC member, Thaba Mufamadi, is being investigated by the Scorpions for receiving bribes in a social-grants tender award.”
She also recalled that the impending charges against police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi and the indictment of ANC leader Jacob Zuma came about because of investigations by the Scorpions.
”In time, further investigations by the Scorpions would no doubt reveal the extent of the web of corruption surrounding the ANC,” she suggested.
She said that the government’s decision to disband the Scorpions, in line with the ANC’s resolution at Polokwane, is clearly an attempt to destroy the most effective corruption-busting force in the country. — Sapa