The African National Congress (ANC) national working committee (NWC) yesterday accused the Scorpions of unfairly targeting its members, and criticised Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke for "showing disdain for delegates to the party's national conference in Polokwane last year".

The claims put the ANC and its allies on a collision course with the judiciary, and will increase the pressure on the government to disband the Scorpions.

The elite crime-fighting unit has pursued members of the ruling party, including its president Jacob Zuma and police commissioner Jackie Selebi.

The ANC said yesterday its NWC had discussed the matter and the need to "restore the integrity of law enforcement units and the entire criminal justice system".

The committee took aim at Moseneke, saying it was "shocked" by comments he made at his recent 60th birthday party about the ruling party.

"His reported comment shows disdain for the delegates to the ANC national conference, and highlights the difficulty that many within the judiciary appear to have in shedding their historical leanings and political orientation," the party said.

According to the Sunday Times, Moseneke told his guests, including former National Prosecuting Authority boss Bulelani Ngcuka, SABC CEO Dali Mpofu, London banker Koolsum Kalyan and Judge Dion Basson, that he had chosen his job "very carefully". "I have another 10 to 12 years on the bench and I want to use my energy to help create an equal society. It's not what the ANC wants or what the delegates want; it is about what is good for our people," the judge said.

While it was unclear what Moseneke was referring to when he spoke about the ANC, the party decided at its conference last month to bring the Scorpions under police control, or dissolve the unit. The Scorpions have been criticised for being a law unto themselves, with ANC treasurer-general Matthews Phosa saying last week there could not be "two bulls in one kraal".

Phosa urged President Thabo Mbeki to act on the ANC resolution that the Scorpions be dissolved or incorporated by June. Opposition parties are against the move.

The battle between the police and the Scorpions continued last week when police arrested Gerrie Nel, the Gauteng Scorpions boss and chief investigator in the Selebi case . Charges against Nel were later dropped for insufficient evidence.

The ANC said this move raised a number of questions.

"The manner in which this case has been handled suggests that SA has a long way to go to achieve equality before the law. It strengthens suspicions that those who occupied positions in agencies of the former apartheid government can act with impunity while the offensive against cadres of the democratic movement is intensified.

"This brings into sharp relief the transformation of state agencies," the NWC said.

Already the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has taken on two respected jurists ­ Arthur Chaskalson and George Bizos ­ who called for Zuma's supporters and detractors not to interfere in the judiciary, specifically in the ANC president's case.

The NWC's statement comes as the party prepares for its three-day lekgotla, which will consider how to implement resolutions adopted at the Polokwane conference, including the one on the Scorpions.

With acknowledgements to Karima Brown, Amy Musgrave and Business Day.