Johannesburg - Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) MP Patricia de Lille on Friday said South African democratic institutions were under threat.

Speaking at the Johannesburg Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry business breakfast in Sandton she said, "Our parliament, whose role should be to keep the power of the executive in check, is finding itself in the reverse position."

She said members of the executive were ganging up with Parliament, along party-political lines, and this was undermining democracy in South Africa.

"They are violating the separation of power with impunity," she added.

She listed several examples, including African National Congress Chief Whip Tony Yengeni's "disregard" for the Parliament Ethics Committee's request for details on how he acquired his luxury Mercedes Benz 4x4; and corruption buster Judge Willem Heath's being prevented from investigating the government's controversial multi-billion arms rand deal.

She said she was currently preparing a legal challenge to President Thabo Mbeki's decision to exclude the Special Investigating Unit, which Heath used to head.

However, De Lillie said she was not pessimistic about the future of the country.

She said there were things that gave her hope about South Africa's fragile democracy and the delicately balanced nation.

She told the business community that it had to make an effort to understand what was going on in Parliament.

She also asked them to make a personal contribution to society.

"So many people are living in poverty right now, and the impact of Aids is going to make that situation much worse."

She said poor people already had to spend a lot of money on caring for Aids victims and paying for funerals.

De Lillie suggested that people in business volunteer a few hours a week to help adult literacy programmes, adopt an Aids orphan or supply baby clothes to a children's home.

With acknowledgment to Sapa and News24.