Cape Town - Amid renewed calls for defence force chief General Siphiwe Nyanda to resign, it emerged on Tuesday that he has until the end of July to declare all gifts and benefits received in the past year.

Public Service Commission chief director of ethics, Dr Daryl Balia, told Sapa that Nyanda had "to his credit" declared in detail all gifts and benefits received by him in the previous year.

He had until the end of July to do the same this year.

It is not clear if Nyanda will include his new Mercedes Benz S320 - purchased at a special rate through a company with a stake in the arms deal - when he submits his list.

Earlier on Tuesday, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota told a Press Gallery Association (PGA) meeting at Parliament he was not prepared to divulge his personal view on the Nyanda issue, as the matter was under investigation.

However, as a general rule, officials were subject to public service regulations, and none should try to benefit themselves by using their position.

The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that Nyanda had admitted to receiving the R500 000 car at a greatly-reduced price from European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).

It was ordered by EADS from sister company DaimlerChrysler as a "private staff" car.

Nyanda's trade-in was another Mercedes, an E320 AMG worth about R400 000, also bought via EADS in October 1998.

This was the same month as ANC Chief Whip Tony Yengeni reportedly received his luxury 4x4 vehicle from the company.

Balia said the system of "financial disclosure" in terms of the Public Service Act provided that all senior public servants, from director up, had to declare the gifts and benefits they received.

Most major vehicle manufacturers offered a special discount to all public servants over and above the discounts offered to the general public, he said.

This would not normally have to be declared.

It was difficult to monitor whether a specific company was going to do business with the government.

However, if a public servant received a "special privilege as a result of some government contract that might be in the pipeline", he was obliged to declare it, Balia said.

The code of conduct for public servants states: "An employee does not use his/her official position to obtain private gifts or benefits for themselves during the performance of his/her duties. Nor does he/she accept any gifts or benefits when offered, as these can be construed as bribes."

Balia said the fact that reports, such as those about Nyanda's car, appeared in the media was a positive sign for transparency.

Nyanda is on an official overseas visit and could not be reached for comment.

However, the defence force said in a statement on Monday that Nyanda's purchase of the vehicle was above board.

The transaction involving his official vehicle was a normal one between two parties, and there was no "whopping bargain" involved, only the normal discount applicable to any official, spokesperson Major-General Chris Pepani said.

"There was nothing underhand involved in the transaction ... (it) was done in a transparent manner with the documents to prove it."

Meanwhile, political parties used Tuesday's vote on the defence budget in the National Assembly to renew their calls for Nyanda's head.

Democratic Alliance spokesman Hendrik Schmidt said if Nyanda refused to resign, Lekota should fire him.

The general's "beneficial procurement" of the two cars brought disgrace upon the defence force.

The Freedom Front's Pieter Groenewald repeated an appeal for Lekota to reveal the names of all people who received vehicles from EADS, which has admitted to facilitating vehicles for at least 30 VIPs.

"In the interests of the SANDF, (Lekota) must make the names known so all the people in South Africa can know," he said.

Mighty Madasa of the African Christian Democratic Party called for a commission of inquiry into the allegations, and into the true nature of the dealings between the defence force and EADS.

At the PGA meeting, Lekota said there would be lessons to be learnt from the outcome of the multi-agency probe into the controversial multi-billion rand arms deal.

The investigation by the offices of the auditor-general, the public protector and the national director of public prosecutions would establish "who did wrong, or not".

Either way, South Africa did not "buy arms every year" and there would be lessons to be learnt from the probe.

This would help to avoid the same pitfalls in any future deals of a similar nature.

Lekota said it was possible there might be acceptable explanations for some of the allegations made.

With acknowledgement to Sapa and News 24.