President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the re-introduction of the Scorpions in his State of the Nation Address on Thursday night.
Ramaphosa says government has resolved to establish a directorate in the office of the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) to deal with serious corruption cases.
The country’s former elite crime-fighting unit was dissolved after the African National Congress (ANC) accused it of abusing power in political cases.
Ramaphosa says the unit will help to investigate priority cases and confiscate properties suspected of being the proceeds of crime.
He also said the revelations emerging from the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and other commissions are deeply disturbing.
He said the commissions reveal the breadth and depth of criminal wrongdoing, that challenges the foundation of the democratic state.
In addition to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, the President has also established the Mokgoro Enquiry to look into the fitness to hold office of suspended National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) senior advocates Nomgcobo Jiba and Lawrence Mrwebi.
An inquiry into the Affairs of the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is also underway.
Ramaphosa has commended the Commissions in their quest to uncover the truth.
