After months of heated debate the ANC has pushed through legislation that will lead to the demise of the Scorpions.  ANC MPs voted in favour of the SA Police Service Amendment Bill and the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill at a Parliamentary committee voting process yesterday, endorsing the legislation by twelve votes to six.  The two Bills are scheduled to come up for debate in the National Assembly on Thursday, however according to an article in the Cape Times today this is a “mere formality, given the ruling party’s overwhelming majority in the house”.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) voted against the bills and were unanimous in their criticism of the haste with which the bills were processed.  DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard described it as “utterly appalling to sit through a process during which a bulldog was replaced with a lapdog”.  Barnard complained that the police – who had only 11% of their cases making it to court – would be taking over from a specialised unit that boasted a 94% conviction rate.