CAPE TOWN Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) chief whip Patricia de Lille yesterday accused the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions of conducting a witchhunt against the organisation's senior leadership.

De Lille, who faced the directorate last Friday to substantiate her claims that senior government officials are involved in the arms deal controversy, said the directorate's decision to subpoena her was a "calculated attempt" to undermine her safety.

"If they claim to have subpoenaed 18 people to testify, why did they only make public the names of PAC members?" she asked.

She said the directorate could also have subpoenaed ANC members like chief whip Tony Yengeni. That there was a "hidden agenda" was proved by the fact that the directorate had told the nation it would report the PAC MPs to the Speaker of Parliament.

"(It) has no right to make such recommendations (this) proves the investigation is not being approached objectively," De Lille said.

She demanded that future hearings be held in public and the media be allowed to cover them.

Directorate spokesman Sipho Ngwema dismissed De Lille's claims that the directorate was pushing a political agenda. "The problem here is that you are dealing with politicians and they will do everything to gain mileage on everything. De Lille as a member of Parliament participated in the establishment of the directorate and it is important that Parliament holds every structure accountable," Ngwema said.

Although De Lille and other PAC members will continue cooperating with the investigations, "we will have to feel our way through the process and see how matters turn out", she said.  

With acknowledgment to Simphiwe Xako and Business Day.