Mnyamezeli Booi, an African National Congress MP who is also chair of the Thabo Mbeki Crossroads Education Fund, revealed on Sunday he had been offered a R1-million bribe, but said it was not clear whether the incident was linked to the multibillion-rand arms deal. 

Booi, chair of the ANC parliamentary study group on safety and security, said it seemed that the person offering the bribe had wanted access to the presidency. 

Booi, of Cape Town, said on Sunday that he had approached a multinational car company for assistance in "building the profile" of the Crossroads Education Fund fund during 1999. This was the period when the arms deal was being negotiated. 

He had been referred to the person, who had had links to the De Klerk administration. 

'It is clear that I couldn't and wouldn't take this money for myself' 

Booi named the person he claimed had offered him the R1-million bribe, but the person could not be reached for comment on Sunday. 

"He said I could use the money to buy a house and all these kinds of things," said Booi. Extensive travel abroad had also been offered as an incentive, he added. 

"It is clear that I couldn't and wouldn't take this money for myself," he said. 

Booi said he had approached the president and, after speaking to him, had been advised to have "nothing further" to do with the person who had tried to bribe him. 

Asked what the motivation for the bribe could have been, Booi said: "He wanted access to the president." 

The person who allegedly made the bribe was not investigated, Booi said. 

With acknowledgment to Andre Koopman and Independent Online.