The majority of South Africans want the Scorpions to remain separate from the police, TNS Research Surveys said on Wednesday.
Fifty nine percent of South Africans said they felt the Scorpions should be separate in a survey conducted in February 2008 among 2 000 people in seven metropolitan areas in the country.
In February 2006, the company asked the same question. At this time 62% of South Africans wanted the two organisations to be separate.
”Whilst overall attitudes have not changed, blacks are somewhat less likely to agree with this statement than in 2006 whilst whites are more likely to agree,” said the survey company.
In 2008, 52% of black South Africans felt the Scorpions should be separate while in 2006, 59% did.
Three quarters of white South Africans in 2008 wanted the Scorpions to remain separate, while 69% did in 2006.
”The majority of adults living in metro areas feel that the Scorpions should be separate from the police,” said the survey company.
”It may be that the ANC is out of step with the mood of, at least, people in metro areas on this issue.”
Members of the African National Congress have recently proposed that the Scorpions be disbanded and become a part of the South African Police Service. – Sapa