Further arrests in the multibillion-rand arms deal saga will depend on the outcome of investigations into outstanding issues, says National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka.

Ngcuka also disclosed that Schabir Shaik, who was arrested after the release of the arms deal report for allegedly being in possession of confidential documents about the deal, would be subpoenaed.

Shaik, a bidder in the arms deal, is the brother of the chief acquisitions negotiator, Chippy Shaik.

And an IFP MP has been relieved of his parliamentary duties pending an investigation into his alleged involvement in the saga.

The Inkatha Freedom Party's national spokesperson, the Reverend Musa Zondi, said his party had asked MP Mandla Msomi to take compulsory leave until parliament's ethics committee had finalised its investigation into whether he received any kickbacks.

Msomi would continue with the party's work.

It has surfaced that while still chairperson of parliament's public enterprises portfolio committee in 1998, Msomi allegedly received two luxury cars at a discount from the company being investigated for alleged bribes to politicians, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.

Although Msomi has been adamant that he bought the cars at their market value and had no knowledge that the company wanted to bribe him, it has emerged he received a discount of R80 000 on both vehicles and had further wanted the company to pay for repairs and servicing.

The decision to "relieve" him of his parliamentary duties was taken at the party's national council meeting in September.

The political row about the arms deal report, which was tabled in parliament last Thursday, continued to simmer at the weekend.

Opposition politicians hit out at President Mbeki for calling critics of the report racists.

Writing in the party's cyber publication, the ANC Today, Mbeki said beneficiaries of apartheid were behind a campaign aimed at discrediting the report, which had started as soon as it had been released.

"At the base of all this lies the racist conviction that Africans, who now govern our country, are naturally prone to corruption, venality and mismanagement," said Mbeki.

DA leader Tony Leon said Mbeki sounded "querulous and pathetic rather than presidential and self-confident" in trying to ascribe racial motives to critics.
Leon said Mbeki should rather set the record straight about the role he and the executive had played in "interrogating" a draft copy of the report, using apartheid-era security legislation which allowed the executive sway over the report prior to its release.

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said invoking the race card created the impression the report was a cover-up.

Raenette Taljaard, DA representative on the public accounts committee, said that after the report's release, the questions about some of the substantive matters in it had increased.

"The DA will not pretend the report has satisfied all the questions and concerns.

"The questions will remain and we will ask them as long as the period of this disastrous procurement lasts and as long as the investigations under the aegis of the national director of public prosecutions continue."

National assembly Speaker Frene Ginwala has referred the report to seven committees, including the public accounts committee, with a December 6 deadline by which to report back.

However, the public accounts committee set December 18 as its target for an interim report to parliament, and it appears likely it will be given the flexibility to work to its deadline.

With acknowledgement to Clive Leviev-Sawyer, Phindile Makwakwa and Independent Online.