ANC veteran Frene Ginwala's appointment to head the commission of inquiry into Vusi Pikoli's suspension has diverted the public's attention from the real issue.

ANC veteran Frene Ginwala's appointment to head the commission of inquiry into Vusi Pikoli's suspension has diverted the public's attention from the real issue.

The president has shrewdly tried to stop the opposition, media and public asking questions by sending Ginwala and her team on a wild-goose chase.

But given the background to the Pikoli saga, should we not be asking why the government is wasting our resources on an unnecessary probe? Why has Thabo Mbeki suspended Pikoli for doing what was long overdue - issuing search and seizure warrants against Jackie Selebi? For months now, the media has been reporting on Selebi's alleged dark side.

"Show us the evidence", has been the excuse for not charging or, at least, suspending him. Strangely, when the evidence is finally presented, the government fails to act.

The similarities between Pikoli's suspension and former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge's axing are striking. It is clear that in the months leading up to the ANC conference in Limpopo, Mbeki is resolute to hold on to power at all costs.

Selebi, by his own admission, is friends with a man with Mafia links.

Are Mbeki's latest antics not an indication that to retain the presidency of the ruling party, he is determined to disregard the Constitution and the judicial system?

Percy Ngonyama, Durban