Scorpions boss Bulelani Ngcuka has vowed to clamp down on "comrade criminals intent on maligning" him to divert the course of investigations into the arms deal, after a spate of "scurrilous" speculations regarding the country's top prosecutor.

Saturday Star has recently encountered a raft of rumours concerning Ngcuka, apparently emanating from Durban, which have, on investigation, been found to be baseless and unpublishable.

A weekend newspaper said last week that that Ngcuka, the National Director of Public Prosecutions, was about to resign to join mining giant, De Beers.

It has also been alleged that Ngcuka was part of some underhanded deal in which he would join a mining house in exchange for concessions obtained from his wife Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the minister of minerals and energy.

He said that there was clearly a "concerted and orchestrated" campaign of rumour and innuendo aimed at discrediting him to deflect Scorpion investigations into top people, mostly in connection with the arms deal.

Ngcuka vowed to "sting", within a matter of weeks, those responsible for the attacks.

"We are not Scorpions for nothing," he said.

While he was not prepared to give names, some of those involved are "well-connected... criminals masquerading as comrades", but he said he would not hesitate to act against them.

In an exclusive interview, Ngcuka said it was unfortunate that the "Sunday World (which published the story last week) has allowed itself to be used by faceless people whose agenda is highly questionable.

'They underestimate our unshakeable commitment'

"I did not speak to the Sunday World, nor have I tendered my resignation, therefore I am not about to join De Beers, not because it is not a great company, which I believe it is. But it would create a major conflict of interest for me and my wife because my wife, Phumzile, is the minister of minerals and energy."

Questioned on why these faceless people would attempt to discredit him, and why De Beers was named he said: "Firstly the choice of De Beers is not accidental. De Beers serves a dual purpose because it is in the sector that my wife works.

"I think that my wife is doing a good job in spearheading reforms in the mining sector. An impression has now been created that in promoting reforms she has been motivated by self-interest."

Ngcuka said the tactic was motivated by the belief that the campaign would disrupt the work of the Scorpions.

"They are very, very wrong. They underestimate our unshakeable commitment to the course of justice and the rule of law," he said.

Asked if he had reached a decision to resign before the apparent rumour campaign was started Ngcuka said: "For me the question is not whether I leave or not, but how I do so. No one can say that I have not given this organisation and this country my very best."

Meanwhile the Scorpions and Schabir Shaik, Deputy President Jacob Zuma's legal adviser, will be slugging it out in court over Shaik's refusal to answer questions concerning an allegation that Zuma received a R500 000-a-year payback from one of the companies involved in the arms deal.

The Scorpions summonsed Shaik to answer questions about his knowledge of links between himself, the Nkobi group of companies or related entities, the Thomson-CSF/Thales group of companies or any related entities, African Defence Systems (ADS), and Zuma.

Thomson-CSF and its South African subsidiary, ADS, formed part of a group that won the R6-billion contract to supply four corvettes.

In terms of the summons, Shaik would be questioned about "negotiations, requests, correspondence, meetings or other arrangements concerning the payment of money or the granting of other benefits by any of the persons or entities mentioned above to any of the other persons or entities mentioned above".

Shaik has refused to answer questions.

Legal representative for Shaik, Sivandandha Parsee, has said that Shaik refused to answer questions because he has been charged in one matter, and has the right to remain silent with respect to other, intimately related, matters.

With acknowledgements to Andre Koopman and the Saturday Star.