WHERE HAVE ALL THE DEMOCRATS GONE? The case for dissolving the Scorpions

This research paper argues for the dissolution of the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO), known as the Scorpions, and its relocation into the South African Police Service (SAPS). The author contends that the DSO operated without sufficient democratic oversight, enabling the abuse of power and the entrenchment of political patronage.

• The author asserts that the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) were involved in the distribution of patronage, violating the constitutional requirement to exercise power impartially.
• The legislation creating the DSO is criticized for failing to include necessary democratic checks and balances, specifically by combining prosecutorial, investigative, and information-gathering powers in one entity without constitutional safeguards.
• The DSO is accused of establishing an intelligence-gathering capacity that exceeded its legal mandate and operated without the democratic oversight required by Section 210 of the Constitution.
• The author argues that the DSO's mandate is excessively vague and wide, which allows the NPA to target almost any crime and facilitates the abuse of power.
• The document claims that the DSO's success rate is exaggerated because the NPA only prosecutes cases it believes it can win, and it notes a lack of high-profile cases against drug barons, violent criminal syndicates, or corporate executives involved in price-fixing and tax evasion.
• The author proposes that relocating the DSO into the SAPS is a necessary step to address abuses, though they suggest a broader debate is needed on the criminal justice system, potentially including a law enforcement agency similar to the US FBI.

APA

Shaik, M. (2008). WHERE HAVE ALL THE DEMOCRATS GONE? The case for dissolving the Scorpions. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/01-jun-2008-sacq-24/01-jun-2008-where-have-all-the-democrats-gone-the-case-for-dissolving-the-scorpions-moe-shaik

Chicago

Shaik, Moe. WHERE HAVE ALL THE DEMOCRATS GONE? The case for dissolving the Scorpions. Institute for Security Studies, 2008. https://issafrica.org/01-jun-2008-sacq-24/01-jun-2008-where-have-all-the-democrats-gone-the-case-for-dissolving-the-scorpions-moe-shaik.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shaik |first1=Moe |title=WHERE HAVE ALL THE DEMOCRATS GONE? The case for dissolving the Scorpions |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2008 |url=https://issafrica.org/01-jun-2008-sacq-24/01-jun-2008-where-have-all-the-democrats-gone-the-case-for-dissolving-the-scorpions-moe-shaik |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shaik2008where, author = {Shaik, Moe}, title = {{WHERE HAVE ALL THE DEMOCRATS GONE? The case for dissolving the Scorpions}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.org/01-jun-2008-sacq-24/01-jun-2008-where-have-all-the-democrats-gone-the-case-for-dissolving-the-scorpions-moe-shaik}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }