President not telling on new organized crime unit

Mbeki was today answering question posed to him by the different political parties in Parliament

President Thabo Mbeki has refused to be drawn into disclosing the nature of the new unit that is to replace the Scorpions in the fight against organised crime. Mbeki was responding to questions in Parliament, where opposition MPs tried to get him to say what the proposed unit would look like.

He says Government's proposal on the integration of the Scorpions into the SAPS is soon to be tabled in Parliament.

"The proposal that we will make takes into account the recommendations made by the Khampepe commission … but in the end it will be up to this House to decide this matter and I think really it would be quite improper for me to say this is what the House will decide because i don't have that kind of power.”

Pieter Groenewald, Freedom Front Plus MP, asked the President whether he would be in favour of incorporating the Scorpions into the police service.

To which Mbeki replied, "I'm in favour of better organized capacity to fight organized crime."

At the same time, the President rejected calls by the DA to fire the Public Enterprises and Minerals and Energy ministers. Mbeki said such suggestions were misdirected, as Cabinet takes collective responsibility for the current electricity shortage.