What President Thabo Mbeki says about the relations between the Scorpions and the South African Police Service makes sense.

However, politically, the timing of the comments could not have come at a worse moment for the government and the ANC.

The location of the Scorpions has been problematic and has led to serious tensions between that institution and the South African Police Service. So tense are these relations that the heads of the respective forces, Bulelani Ngcuka Jackie Selebi, are not on friendly terms. Accusations have flown to and fro.

The SAPS, for instance, has alleged that the Scorpions have stolen dockets that were almost completed from them and then used these to claim successes. There have also been allegations that good investigators were lured from the police service and given higher pay by the elite unit.

This matter has quite rightly received the attention of the highest office in the land. It was only a matter of time before the hostility between two of the top crime- fighters in the country began to have a negative impact on their mission to make South Africa a crime-free zone.

The Scorpions were formed at a time when crime in this country had reached crisis proportions. They were formed at a time when the police service was still in the hands of the old guard and there were doubts about their commitment to fight crime. So a special team, led by a highly respected black advocate, was set up to fight crime and report to the president via the minister of justice. They were appointed to ensure that justice against criminals was swift and efficient.

Since their formation five years ago, the Scorpions have had a major impact on crime in South Africa. Admittedly, they have had some failures as well, particularly in the asset and forfeiture unit. This is where a number of criminals have had their properties seized in the glare of TV cameras, only to get these back later on.

In their ambitious fight against crime, the Scorpions have brought some well known South Africans to book.

It would be true to say that they have been a thorn on the side of criminals and politicians who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

In recent times, the Scorpions investigated and successfully prosecuted ANC heavyweight Tony Yengeni. Their work single-handedly brought to a premature end the parliamentary political career of Yengeni, who was found guilty of defrauding Parliament and handed a jail sentence. The elite unit has also been responsible for putting ANC Women's League chairperson Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in the dock on fraud charges. They are now looking into corruption allegations against former transport minister Mac Maharaj and his wife.

The Scorpions have, for the past two years, been investigating Deputy President Jacob Zuma with a view to establishing whether or not he is guilty of corruption. In investigating the country's number two citizen, the Scorpions, and Ngcuka in particular, have ruffled some political feathers within the ANC.

This is why the timing of the president's comments on the Scorpions and the SAPS is wrong.

While Mbeki will act to resolve the institutional tension between the SAPS and the Scorpions, detractors of his government and leadership will be quick to say that he is acting to remove a unit that has proved to be a thorn on the side of the ANC.

It would be said that Ngcuka, who has shown a lot of guts in the pursuit of justice, is being removed for political reasons.

Already, since the investigation into Zuma gained momentum, it is believed that "ANC people" are going around and spreading negative rumours about Ngcuka. They range from deeply personal things to allegations that he was a spy in the apartheid era.

All of these things are obviously designed to discredit Ngcuka and to cast aspersions on his integrity. They are designed to condition the minds of the public and colour their eyes so that when the final report on the investigation into allegations against the deputy president is released, people can view it in certain light.

It is possible that even the discussion that the Scorpions will cease to exist as an independent entity and that Ngcuka will have to find another job, could be seen as part of a move within the ruling party to get rid of the head scorpion and his mighty sting.

The South African public is awash with allegations - unproven allegations - of widespread corruption by ANC councillors, MPLs, MECs, MPs and others in the parastatals. There's a belief that the Scorpions would get to these people.

There is no doubt the Scorpions should continue to sting criminals, in and outside the ANC, even if they become a specialist unit of the SAPS. The commitment that Ngcuka has to fight crime is the commitment that I am sure Selebi shares.

With acknowledgements to Jovial Rantao and The Star.