Opposition political parties on Thursday expressed dismay about the resignation of independent-minded ANC MP Andrew Feinstein.  

The former ANC study group leader in the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) announced his resignation at midday, citing disappointment over both the government and his party's handling of the controversial arms deal.

Feinstein has been under pressure from the ANC for his stance on the multi-billion rand deal.

Scopa chairperson Gavin Woods on Thursday said that Feinstein's resignation was a serious loss to the committee and parliament.

Woods and Feinstein were instrumental in calling for a multi-agency probe into the arms deal, and led the charge in Scopa to try and ensure the executive was accountable to parliament on the issue.

"His departure is a serious loss to the committee as he consistently demonstrated the most sought-after qualities of a Scopa member," Woods said.

He said Feinstein possessed the qualities the public wanted in their representatives.

"He was intelligent, and his honest assessment of the matters that were brought before the committee... were always guided by the public interest."

Woods has himself come under pressure over his views on the arms deal, particularly from ANC committee members.

DA public accounts spokesperson Raenette Taljaard said it was a sad day for South Africa's parliament as Feinstein's skills were irreplaceable in all the committees on which he served.

"It is a day on which the ANC should do some soul-searching... when an independent-minded MP resigns because he could not give a dissenting view, or publicly disagree with the party," she said.

Feinstein had also been a leading member of the ANC's finance portfolio committee.

The United Democratic Movement said in a statement the resignation was a loss to parliament, specifically regarding its role on accountability and oversight.

"He is a man of integrity, who was willing to put his principles before party loyalty.

"His sudden resignation confirms that something went badly wrong in the arms procurement process as well as the investigation into this matter," the UDM's Gerhard Koornhof said.

Pan Africanist Congress MP Patricia de Lille - one of the first to allege irregularities in the arms deal, and a vocal critic of the ANC's stance - said the move was to be expected.

"This is a direct result of the vindictive manner in which the ANC deals with members who do not toe the party line, even if the party line is wrong," she said.

Earlier on Thursday, Feinstein said he was no longer able to play a meaningful role in the national assembly, or as a member of Scopa.

"It is not a matter of being sidelined... I have been unhappy with the way the government and ANC in parliament have handled the situation (the arms deal)."

He would, however, remain a member of the party.

Feinstein has been at loggerheads with party bosses over the arms probe, and was replaced as head of the ANC's study group in Scopa in January.

He said he had later decided not to take part in Scopa proceedings, after the ANC study group instructed him not to speak in the committee unless his comments were first cleared by his colleagues.

This followed a formal complaint to ANC Chief Whip Tony Yengeni about his refusal to vote in the committee, and in the national assembly, in support of a motion of confidence in Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala.

"I have felt a little uneasy over the past few months... (the party) was not happy with my refusal to support (the line of the arms deal)," he said.

Feinstein's demotion as head of the ANC in Scopa was linked to whether the committee, in November last year, had in fact called for the inclusion of the Special Investigating Unit - then headed by Judge Willem Heath - in the multi-agency probe.

He and Woods, together with opposition parties, had argued the unit should be included.

The arms deal is being investigated by the Auditor-General, Public Protector and the directorate of public prosecutions.

Asked for his views on the probe, Feinstein said: "I don't want to pre-empt the investigation, but I hope it is thorough... there have been some things that concern me."

He was also disappointed by the disintegration of Scopa as an effective watchdog body. At the end of last year, he said, it had been a highly-skilled, effective and non-partisan committee.

Both the ANC and Democratic Alliance were responsible for the breakdown of the committee, Feinstein said.

Both parties had made major changes to "strengthen" their delegations on Scopa, and from that time the committee was plagued by in-fighting and political wrangling.

Feinstein said he had not yet made a decision on his future, although he had received a number of offers, mainly from the private sector.

He would make a final decision on this before the end of next month.

The ANC said in a statement it had accepted Feinstein's resignation, and was happy with the way the Scopa study group had conducted itself on the arms deal.

"We are especially satisfied with the way in which we have dealt with the investigation into the arms acquisition process," ANC Scopa spokesperson Vincent Smith said. 

With acknowledgment to Sapa and Independent Online.