Article: Hawks should not be an autonomous unit: Zuma

President Jacob Zuma has suggested accountability would be lost if a Constitutional Court bid to have the Hawks declared an autonomous unit from the police was successful, the Sunday Independent reported.

"However serious the threat of corruption and however dire the need for an independent DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation] to avoid government shielding itself against policing of corrupt members, the Hawks cannot be an absolutely independent stand-alone unit," said Zuma -- in court papers submitted in response to a bid by the Helen Suzman Foundation and businessman Hugh Glenister to get rid of legislature governing the Hawks.
 
Accountability to the very government they're investigating. I suppose the same argument can now be used for Thuli's office as well...
 
Having a fair amount of friends work for the above, I know from previous conversations that it would be pretty awesome if they could be autonomous.... the public have no idea how many investigations have been squashed because of pressure from high up due to threats coming from the government. Question is.... would this solve the problem? My guess is not completely, but it would certainly help.
 
Zuma simply cannot afford any investigative unit that is not under his direct control and manipulation.
 
No one outside the cadres will have be given power. There is too much at stake!!!!
 
El Presidente should really never make statements about anything related to corruption in any way whatsoever. It's like Hitler speaking out against anti-Semitism.
 
For once Zuma knows what he is talking about.

"Without some control, accountability is an empty concept," Zuma said in his submission.

And he knows this from personal experience, of course. Everyone besides ANC cadres are accountable, since there is effectively no way to hold them accountable.
 
The Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation should not be autonomous of the South African Police Service. On this point Zuma is correct. The DPCI is a necessary component of an effective police service able to deliver on its mandate. Corruption is a cancerous crime rather than one that policing solutions are best placed to address and it really shouldn't cause us to loose sight of the need for serious investigative capabilities at the police.

The National Prosecuting Authority urgently requires investigative capabilities that are sufficiently independent of the prosecuting staff dependent upon the investigation. An investigative unit enjoying considerable autonomy under the aegis of the NPA is absolutely necessary to deal with corruption and corrupt enterprises. An NPA with integrity is an absolute prerequisite for SA - sadly the amount of damage inflicted (and self inflicted) on the NPA makes this almost a pipe dream.

Keep the Hawks within SAPS and from the Hawks get the detective services of SAPS properly on track, bring back the Scorpions but get the right structure in place - the old Scorpions structure was a little wonky. Get the intelligence services out of the revolutions and counter revolutions game and start charging people who are funded by foreign governments to suppress investigations into transactions that potentially undermine our military capabilities with treason. The rest will follow.
 
The hawks should report to a council with reps from each party. That's it. Plain and simple. It should not be interfered with by the saps or justice or any part of gvt or ruling party
 
marine1 said:
The hawks should report to a council with reps from each party. That's it. Plain and simple. It should not be interfered with by the saps or justice or any part of gvt or ruling party
Click to expand...

But then how do you decide representation of parties on said council?
 
OrbitalDawn said:
National Assembly representation? They should be independent and directly accountable to Parliament, not subject to political stooges as they are now.
Click to expand...

National assembly representation then takes us back to where we are, the ANC being in control and will out number every other party. Look at the ad hoc committee set up for Nkandla for example
 
sox63 said:
National assembly representation then takes us back to where we are, the ANC being in control and will out number every other party. Look at the ad hoc committee set up for Nkandla for example
Click to expand...

All independent State bodies are ultimately accountable to Parliament, including the IEC, SARS and the Public Protector.

Parliament is where accountability is supposed to be enforced. Yes, the ANC have made a mockery of this principle, but the less seats they have, the better. At the very least Parliament is an open institution where we can have a look at what officials are doing, unlike the executive which will never allow corruption or collusion to be brought to light.
 
OrbitalDawn said:
All independent State bodies are ultimately accountable to Parliament, including the IEC, SARS and the Public Protector.

Parliament is where accountability is supposed to be enforced. Yes, the ANC have made a mockery of this principle, but the less seats they have, the better. At the very least Parliament is an open institution where we can have a look at what officials are doing, unlike the executive which will never allow corruption or collusion to be brought to light.
Click to expand...

Point taken
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X