By Carien du Plessis
Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Monday accused those opposing the dissolution of the Scorpions of having a racist agenda, while mentioning a missing amount of R100-million as one of the serious problems with this unit.
Another major problem, he said, was the lack of a monitoring mechanism equivalent to the Independent Complaints Directorate, which monitors the police.
Those opposed to the disbanding of the Scorpions, formally known as the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO), did not appreciate these serious practical challenges, Mthethwa said during debate on President Kgalema Motlanthe's State of the Nation address yesterday.
"They appear even less interested in finding solutions to the problem. This leads one to expect that the clamour about the DSO is less about the quality of its work, but more about the ability of such work in the furtherance of political aspirations of those who either directly or indirectly benefited from the racist dispensation of the past," he said.
The Scorpions currently resort under the National Prosecuting Authority, but are due to be merged with the SAPS Organised Crime Unit to form the new Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation (DPCI).
A resolution to dissolve the Scorpions, which had been investigating the corruption charges against ANC leader Jacob Zuma, was adopted by the ANC at its 2007 Polokwane conference.
Motlanthe last month signed the South African Police Service Amendment Bill and the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill into law, paving the way for the unit's dismantling.
NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali on Monday said the NPA was aware of "an amount around which there were queries".
This amount was close to R100-million.
By the time of going to press, Tlali did not have any more comment on the issue.