President Thabo Mbeki still has a report on the Scorpions submitted by the Khampepe commission and it is not known when it will be made public.

The commission, chaired by Judge Sisi Khampepe, was appointed by Mbeki earlier this year to look into the future of the Scorpions unit, the investigating unit of the National Prosecuting Authority, amid calls for the unit to be closed or collapsed into the South African Police Service.

Mbeki’s spokesman, Murphy Morobe, said yesterday that he had no knowledge of the status of the report and what Mbeki intended to do about it.

Justice department and Khampepe commission spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said: “The commission is reporting to the president and it is up to (him) to decide what to do with the interim report. At the moment we are going on with our work.” Kganyago could not say when the final report was expected.

A number of interested parties gave submissions to the commission, including former education minister Kader Asmal and the Democratic Alliance (DA). Asmal supported the Scorpions’ continued independence. He said the public would object to it losing its autonomy.

“If the Scorpions are moved, South Africans will lose faith that everyone is equal before the law and corrupt people would see it as encouragement” Asmal said. The unit had made a contribution to SA’s attempts to stamp out crime and promote faith in the legal system, he said.

The DA also came out in support of the Scorpions remaining outside the control of the police. “Removing them from the National Prosecuting Authority would remove the prosecution-led aspect — which is the key to the Scorpions’ success,” the opposition party said.

With acknowledgements to Ernest Mabuza and the Business Day.