White-collar criminals will now face the sting of an elite group after President Thabo Mbeki officially launched the crime fighting unit the Directorate of Special Investigations, dubbed the Scorpions, in Guguletu yesterday.
The unit, led by Director Frank Dutton, has a founding complement of 200 detectives and prosecutors that would be increased to 2 000 in about two years.
The Scorpions will investigate priority crimes, including organised crime, violent crimes, political violence, terrorism and crimes against the state, serious economic crime and corruption in the police, criminal justice system and the security forces.
Mbeki was joined at the launch by several Cabinet ministers, including Penuell Maduna, justice; Steve Tshwete, safety and security; Ben Skosana, correctional services; Joe Hlanhla, intelligence; Mangosuthu Buthelezi, home affairs; and Patrick Lekota, defence.
The establishment of the Scorpions gives substance to an announcement by Mbeki at the opening of parliament in June that "a special and adequately staffed and equipped investigative unit will be established urgently to deal with all national priority crime, including police corruption".
The Scorpions will report to Bulelani Ngcuka, the national director of public prosecutions, who in turn will report to the president sitting with the Inter-Ministerial Security Committee.
Tshwete, chairman of the committee, said the Scorpions would not replace the National Intelligence Agency or the South African Police Service but complement the activities of the two institutions and will be a resource to them in the fight against national priority crimes.
The Scorpions will operate along a multi-disciplinary approach, which would include intelligence, investigation and prosecution. This will boost efforts to strengthen co-ordination among the law enforcement agencies and reduce fragmentation and duplication.
To ensure that operations by the Scorpions are conducted ethically and professionally, there will be an office for internal integrity that would form part of the directorate and report directly to the director.
There will also be specialist prosecutors, who will be headed by a deputy national director of public prosecutions.