South Africa on Monday postponed public hearings, being held in Pretoria, into a multi-billion dollar arms deal involving five West European countries that has been dogged by claims of bribery and corruption.

South Africa's Public Protector Selby Baqwa, who is presiding over a process expected to last two months, agreed to a Defence force request and adjourned the hearings to June 11.

Defence officials sought the delay to give their lawyers time to study documents and talk to witnesses summoned from the department.

A volley of criticism

The R43-billion arms deal signed in December 1999 involves firms in Germany, Italy, Sweden, Britain, France and South Africa, including Sweden's Saab , Britain's BAE Systems and France's Thomson-CSF .

It was supposed to generate investments worth R104-billion and create 65 000 jobs. But allegations of bribery and corruption have surrounded the deal, and a preliminary study by the auditor-general last year called for an in-depth review after finding serious flaws in procedure.

"It is in the interest of all South Africans that all allegations made be properly investigated," Baqwa earlier told a packed hearing at the Pretoria High Court.

The office of the public protector was set up to defend standards in public office.

Baqwa said the public hearings were intended to keep the public informed on the arms deal and would not interfere with separate criminal inquiries into allegations of wrongdoing.

Time to study documents

Government officials, defence experts, lawyers and opposition members are expected to join the queue of those submitting evidence.

The hearings are aimed at restoring public faith after a series of public relations disasters. Opposition politicians have labelled the public hearings a whitewash, but some political analysts disagree.

"If they (the government) had wanted a whitewash they could have appointed a parliamentary committee that would have conducted its work in camera," said Herman Hannekom, an analyst with a South African think-tank.

The Sunday Independent newspaper said the hearing "marks the next critical phase in a process that cuts to the heart of South Africa's parliamentary democracy".

In January, President Thabo Mbeki's ruling African National Congress demoted and silenced Andrew Feinstein, one of its own leading members who had been championing the investigation.

Mbeki also barred his top anti-graft unit from taking part in the inquiry into the deal and accused the unit's investigators of trying to undermine his government.

The deal is being investigated by parliament's public accounts committee and state security agencies.

Opposition and government critics have accused Mbeki's government of a cover-up, a charge denied by the government.

The opposition Pan Africanist Congress has repeatedly said it has a document that suggests kickbacks were involved in the drawn-out negotiations over the deal.

South Africa's move to acquire the arms and re-equip its armed forces, the most powerful in sub-Saharan Africa, has triggered a volley of criticism across the political spectrum.

These range from complaints the country does not need and cannot afford the weapons to observations that the money would be better spent on welfare. 

With acknowledgment to Buchizya Mseteka and Independent Online.