The Congress of the People (COPE) is calling on the Justice and Police Ministers to establish an anti-corruption fighting unit similar to the disbanded Scorpions – to replace the Hawks. COPE says the Hawks is a toothless anti-corruption fighting unit.
Spokesperson Dennis Bloem says while COPE welcomes the recent arrests by the Hawks – these were just made for media attention without concrete action.
He says there are many cases investigated by the Hawks that have dragged on for too long.
“It is either the Hawks are not investigating cases properly and in a hurry to prove to the public that they are working. It can’t be that they arrest suspects and the cases drag on for years. A case in point is that of the former Mayor of eThekwini Zanele Gumede. In some instances, cases are withdrawn. COPE is calling upon the Minister of Justice and Police to establish a unit, similar to the disbanded Scorpions that will be more effective than the Hawks. People are starting to lose hope and trust in the Hawks.”
On Friday, the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations arrested four people in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in the Eastern Cape. They include the Acting City Manager Mvuleni Mapu, two other municipal officials as well as a businesswoman for alleged fraud linked to the Housing Department where Mapu is a director. They are all out on bail.
Hawks arrest Nelson Mandela Bay acting city manager:
