PAN Africanist Congress (PAC) leader Patricia de Lille yesterday failed to make good on her promise to make public the names of about five senior government officials who she says benefited from the R43bn arms deal.  

De Lille was nowhere to be seen at a news briefing in Pretoria yesterday. The organisation said it was consulting its legal representatives and indicated it might release at least one of those names soon.  

The party has also called for the names of staff involved in the probe to be made public, saying there were attempts to thwart the probe.  

A spokesman said the probe, as it stands, had failed even before it had started. "It is against this background that the PAC conference resolved to go to court before the end of this month."  

The party said it believed the justice system, the media and the public would be the ones to "scrutinise the process and come up with the truth".  

The PAC said the names of those involved had been given to select media institutions to assist in the investigation as the organisation did not have the capacity and resources. "Certain senior members will fall. We are aware that we are dealing with strong people," said secretary-general Thami ka Plaatjie.  

With acknowledgement to Bonile Ngqiyaza and Business Day.