The agencies probing SA's controversial arms deal will table a report in Parliament on Wednesday, but the people and institutions close to the issue were in the dark as to what it would say.

Chairman of the standing committee on finance Gavin Woods said the auditor-general Shauket Fakie had the matter "pretty close to his chest".

Fakie's office is one of three agencies involved in the probe of the arms deal that initially was estimated at about R30bn, but which has since escalated.

Pan Africanist Congress MP Patricia de Lille said at the weekend: "I don't know what the report is going to say, but I can tell you what I expect it to say."

This was to explain why the cost of the arms deal escalated from R29bn to R66bn. "What went wrong there? They must tell us why they could not reasonably estimate the cost." De Lille said Fakie had confirmed in Parliament in September that tender procedures were not followed.

She said there would be a gap in the report as none of the agencies had a legal mandate to probe the civil aspect of the deal.

"The only agency which has power," she said, "is the special investigating unit."

She referred to a statement President Thabo Mbeki made on television on January 19, saying there was no prima facie evidence of wrong-doing.

"Now he's got prima facie evidence. People have been charged. We expect the report to come out with more names." De Lille was referring to former African National Congress Chief Whip Tony Yengeni, who was forced to resign after a scandal involving discounts on cars.

With acknowledgement to Bonile Ngqiyaza and Business Day.