Submission Relating to: (a) South African Police Service Amendment Bill, 30 of 2008, and (b) National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill, 23 of 2008

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) submitted a report to the South African Parliament on 28 July 2008 regarding the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill and the South African Police Service Amendment Bill. The ISS argues for the retention of the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO) within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to ensure independence from executive and political interference, particularly in high-level corruption and money laundering investigations.

• The ISS recommends that the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO) be retained within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) rather than being integrated into the South African Police Service (SAPS), citing the need for the agency to be shielded from executive intrusion to effectively tackle high-level corruption.
• The ISS asserts that dissolving the DSO could be seen as a violation of South Africa's international commitments under the 2003 United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the 2003 African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, both of which mandate the existence of independent anti-corruption bodies.
• The DSO is identified as critical for handling complex, trans-national money laundering investigations involving offshore corporate vehicles, a role that the ISS believes would be neutralized if the agency were incorporated into the SAPS.
• Regarding the South African Police Service Amendment Bill, the ISS argues that the power to appoint the Head of the proposed Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation should be moved from the National Commissioner to the Minister of Safety and Security to prevent manipulation, specifically citing the indictment of National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi as a cautionary example.
• The ISS recommends that the South African Police Service Amendment Bill be modified to explicitly include 'Corruption' in the mandate of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation and to establish a formal 'Ministerial Coordinating Forum' and a supporting sub-committee for operational coordination.
• The ISS advocates for a prosecution-led, multidisciplinary approach to fighting organized crime, suggesting that the Bill should facilitate the secondment of prosecutors from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation.

APA

Mashele, P., Van Vuuren, H., & Goredema, C. (2008). Submission Relating to: (a) South African Police Service Amendment Bill, 30 of 2008, and (b) National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill, 23 of 2008. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ISSSUBMITJUL08.PDF

Chicago

Mashele, Prince, Hennie Van Vuuren, and Charles Goredema. Submission Relating to: (a) South African Police Service Amendment Bill, 30 of 2008, and (b) National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill, 23 of 2008. Institute for Security Studies, 2008. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ISSSUBMITJUL08.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mashele |first1=Prince |last2=Van Vuuren |first2=Hennie |last3=Goredema |first3=Charles |title=Submission Relating to: (a) South African Police Service Amendment Bill, 30 of 2008, and (b) National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill, 23 of 2008 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=28 July 2008 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ISSSUBMITJUL08.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mashele2008submission, author = {Mashele, Prince and Van Vuuren, Hennie and Goredema, Charles}, title = {{Submission Relating to: (a) South African Police Service Amendment Bill, 30 of 2008, and (b) National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill, 23 of 2008}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ISSSUBMITJUL08.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }