Imagine politics was an animal documentary show on Animal Planet or National Geographic Wild. How would the documentary on the pending incorporation of The Scorpions into the South African Police Service (SAPS) look like? Well it would be a tale of how the Big Crime Fighting Scorpion used to inject deadly venom into the wild crime savannah land that is South Africa and then the political hyenas of the bad lands came and tried to crush the Big Crime Fighting Scorpion because it was too good at catching criminals, especially criminals from the hyena bad lands. Unfortunately for the Big Crime Fighting Scorpion the hyenas had powerful friends in the heartland of the Savannah government who also turned against it on the Big Crime Fighting Scorpion. The Big Crime Fighting Scorpion was left alone and the political hyenas and vultures are devouring the Big Black Crime Fighting Scorpion who can’t use its venom against them because the Savannah government has taking away the venom.

“Riveting and Exciting”- African Journal

“Real life Political Drama”- African Political Watch

“Sad Story about the death of Crime Fighting”- Real Life News

The above would be what the film critics would say about the documentary about the death of the National Prosecuting Services’ Scorpions. Art imitating life or life imitating art? In this case, this is Art imitating life, the life of one of the most effective crime fighting forces in South Africa The Scorpions were designed under the National Prosecution Authority, somewhat independent of the SAPS, to help and compliment the SAPS in dealing with organised crime in South Africa. The Scorpions are similar to the United States of America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). They are an important tool in crime fighting in South Africa and have been somewhat successful. Although crime has not significantly come down in South Africa, having a separate department for organised crime is a good thing. The SAPS have been undermanned and over stretched such that having a separate division to help in the war against crime was a step in the right direction.

So why disband it? Well the answer lies in the political climate in South Africa in which politicians may have more to hide than we think. Since the Arms Deal debacle, many politicians and powerful people felt that the Scorpions are actually good enough to catch them in corrupt dealings. So rather incorporate them into the SAPS, which was run by a Commissioner with ties to organised crime. With in the SAPS organised crime fighting could be better controlled or prevented from doing their job effectively. Unfortunately, politics has once again entered the social arena for the worse. The arrogance of our leaders continues to affect us in a negative way and the disbanding of The Scorpions in the immediate future will negatively affect crime fighting in a country where crime is the number 1 problem.

I want to give the government the benefit of the doubt on this but I can’t. Leave The Scorpions alone and let them do their job.

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