Scorpions’ 2009 disbandment ‘a mistake, and SA’s problems prove it’ — Firoz Cachalia

The controversial decision about 17 years ago to disband the Directorate of Special Operations, better known as the Scorpions, has come back to haunt South Africa.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said on Wednesday, 5 November 2025, that he believes that decision was “a mistake”.

Cachalia was testifying at the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating accusations that a drug trafficking cartel has infiltrated South Africa’s law enforcement, politics and private security.

This is the first time he has publicly spoken at length about the unprecedented policing scandal and what he believes needs to be done to tighten crimefighting in the country.

‘A blunder’

While addressing MPs, Cachalia referred to the Scorpions unit, saying: “It had a lot of success… but… there was pushback, there was a reaction and there were concerns about the manner in which it went about its work.

“And then we disbanded that institution. I think that this was a mistake, and we can see that clearly… given where we are now and the problems we’re facing now.”

The establishment of the Scorpions, a component of the National Prosecuting Authority, was announced in 1999 to fight high-level organised crime and corruption.

Thabo Mbeki was South Africa’s president at the time, and his main political rival emerged as Jacob Zuma.

Acting Minister of Police, Prof Firoz Cachalia, is currently giving evidence before the #AdHocCommittee to Investigate Allegations made by @SAPoliceService KZN Provincial Head, General Nhlanhla #Mkhwanazi #PKTT

Prof Cachalia says he discussed the matter of #PKTT with the… pic.twitter.com/NzzLpnJnwW

— Justice-and-security-Cluster (@JustSecuCluster) November 5, 2025

Fast-forward to 2008, when reports surfaced that the Scorpions, then headed by Leonard McCarthy, would be dissolved, which led to suspicions that political interference was at play.

The following year, 2009, the directorate was officially disbanded and Zuma became president.

He remained head of state until 2018 – this period has since become synonymous with State Capture in South Africa.

A National Prosecuting Authority statement in 2022 described the Scorpions as having “built an international reputation as a trailblazing criminal investigations and prosecutions unit that effectively used the latest techniques to tackle the most complex crimes”.

Cachalia appeared to back that description while testifying at the parliamentary ad hoc committee on Wednesday, and suggested that the disbandment of the Scorpions had exposed South Africa to criminality.

Others share this sentiment. 

Among them is reportedly former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who previously headed the State Capture Commission.

Al Capone and ‘existential threat’

Cachalia said in Parliament on Wednesday that policing capabilities were needed to dismantle and investigate corruption.

“It’s an existential threat to this country,” he added.

Cachalia said gangsters were wealthy individuals who ran “very sophisticated” business structures.

They could hire top-tier lawyers and they financially backed unemployed people, thereby getting their support.

On what would have been his 124th birthday today, the #FBI looks back one hundred years on the roaring twenties when Al Capone ruled an empire of crime in the Windy City. https://t.co/QXvMHfoAgN pic.twitter.com/6WFfB6XhPc

— FBI (@FBI) January 17, 2023

Cachalia briefly focused on American gangster Al Capone, who died in 1947 after spending several years in jail.

He pointed out that Capone “was not prosecuted for his crimes”, but for “tax evasion”.

Through this reference, Cachalia seemed to suggest that the way organised crime was being tackled in South Africa effectively needed an overhaul or invigoration, and that different strategies had to be implemented.

He said: “We are working on an organised crime strategy.”

This was being tested in the Western Cape, South Africa’s gang violence epicentre, as well as three other provinces.

Cachalia said “a lot” had been learnt from the SAPS’s political killings task team.

The task team forms part of the accusations that sparked the policing scandal.

Read more: Looting at intelligence agencies flourished while politicians failed their oversight role

During Wednesday’s Parliamentary proceedings, aside from crimefighting strategies, Cachalia outlined other focus areas.

Deputy Police Minister Polly Boshielo had been asked to put together a team to assess gender-based violence in the country, while Second Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale had been requested to head a team to ensure a balance between clandestine operations and oversight in managing the police’s Secret Service Account.

There have long been suspicions and accusations relating to the looting of the account.

PKTT disbandment

During Wednesday’s Parliamentary ad hoc committee proceedings, Cachalia repeatedly mentioned the political killings task team.

At the end of 2024, now sidelined Police Minister Senzo Mchunu ordered that it be disbanded (much like what happened to the Scorpions).

The disbandment, though, did not proceed as Mchunu wanted.

A few months ago, in July, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi held a press conference and made an astounding set of accusations.

These included that a drug-trafficking cartel had infiltrated the police and other state agencies, and that Mchunu’s order to disband the political killings task team was part of an attempt to disrupt critical investigations.

Mchunu, who has denied any wrongdoing, was placed on special leave because of the allegations against him.

This led to Cachalia becoming the acting police minister – he was sworn in at the start of August.

Read more: Mkhwanazi’s warning — drug cartel, criminal syndicate infest SA law enforcement

On Wednesday, Cachalia questioned Mchunu’s decision to disband the political killings task team, saying it did not appear to have been done “the right way” and was “unwise”.

‘Whistleblower’

He recalled his thoughts while watching Mkhwanazi’s July press conference.

Cachalia said he had felt worried, especially because of what Mkhwanazi was wearing – “full military regalia”.

Daily Maverick has reported that Mkhwanazi was dressed in Special Task Force camouflage (he was previously head of this unit) and was surrounded by armed police officers.

Cachalia said on Wednesday, “that kind of public statement” was not necessarily appropriate.

He pointed out that police had a command structure which required respect.

Cachalia, however, said that if what Mkhwanazi publicly alleged during his July press conference was confirmed as the truth, then “he would have been vindicated… in that sense he would have been shown to be a whistleblower”.

Cachalia’s coup concern

During a question-and-answer session with MPs, Cachalia was pushed on his concerns about Mkhwanazi.

He explained that democracies were “about civilian government” and again reiterated that there was a “structure of authority” in the police service that needed to be respected.

Cachalia said when he saw Mkhwanazi during the July press conference, he presented himself as “someone who’s dressed like a soldier”, and the first thing that came to the now acting police minister’s mind was: “Is this South Africa?”

Read more: SA’s ongoing capture — Mkhwanazi’s accusations and countering charges merge with past state sabotage

He said Mkhwanazi’s attire “conjured up images in my mind of a coup d’état”.

Cachalia repeated that if what Mkhwanazi had alleged in July turned out to be fact, this would mean he was a whistleblower.

He also said Mkhwanazi was “among the most impressive, at least in the way he presents himself”. 

Cachalia based this on how Mkhwanazi had previously testified at the ad hoc committee hearing and at the parallel hearing, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is also investigating Mkhwanazi’s allegations.

Corruption investigators

The ad hoc committee hearing is expected to proceed on Thursday when Andrea Johnson, head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac), is set to testify. 

The Idac falls under the National Prosecuting Authority, as did the Scorpions.

It also drew on lessons from the Scorpions and was widely viewed as being an iteration of the disbanded unit.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, Cachalia said the creation of the Idac (which officially began its operations last year) was an “important step forward”. 

However, he did not feel the Idac was ready to fulfil what it promised.

Read more: Mkhwanazi alleges SA’s new capture — malicious corruption-busters and classified intelligence leaks.

Previously, Mkhwanazi also testified about the Idac at the ad hoc committee.

He alleged that sources in the Idac told him that it had a good structure, but also one “that is malicious, that is used as a weapon to further disrupt … criminal justice operations.”

Johnson may address this statement in her upcoming testimony. DM