Chairperson, here in front of us we have a concoction of two Bills that will ensure that the capacity-building for fighting crime will focus and enhance the integrated cluster approach so that loopholes, tactical or legal, are closed or eliminated. The Bills in front of us emphasise that interdepartmental collaboration should not boil down to collusion in the investigation and prosecution of accused persons. While the two Bills can easily be cross-referenced in several sections, it remains remarkable that the lines of investigation versus prosecution are clearly demarcated. There are also, in several sections of these Bills, clear lines of accountability, including checks and balances.
We will hear more and more stories of the so-called success of the Scorpions. But, what is remarkable is that we do not see any facts accompanying these claims. [Interjections.] There are no statistics to say how far the Scorpions have succeeded in fighting the kind of crime they were instituted for. [Interjections.]
The hon member just before me stated that they are uncomfortable about these Bills and, indeed, they should be. It would seem to us that the Scorpions, in their latter form, were giving themselves a mandate that is legally not there.
Can we just focus on some of the issues? It is a known fact that they involved themselves in the unauthorised surveillance of individuals on a large scale. [Interjections.] As if that were not enough, they nearly threw this country into turmoil that could have had implications on a continental scale, involving heads of state of other countries in wild claims that were not even proved.
We have here claims that the Scorpions were successful. If then you were not interested in the stability of this country ...