Cape Town - The arrest of the African National Congress' Chief Whip Tony Yengeni was good news for all South Africans, former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein said on Wednesday.

"This is extraordinarily good news for South Africa, for all South Africans, except for probably Tony himself and anyone else who benefitted inappropriately [from the arms deal]," he told Sapa.

Feinstein - who resigned from Parliament at the end of August citing the ANC in Parliament's handling of the controversial multi-billion rand arms deal - said he hoped that this was the first of a series of arrests.

"If it is an attempt to use Tony as a scapegoat that would not be acceptable," he said.

Yengeni was released on R10 000 bail in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court earlier in the day.

He handed himself over to the Scorpions investigating unit after a warrant for his arrest had been issued.

The charges arise from his acquisition of a discounted luxury 4X4 vehicle from a company with interests in the R43 billion arms deal.

Feinstein was removed as head of the ANC in Parliament's public accounts committee (Scopa) earlier this year for not following the party line on the arms deal.

The ANC's spokesperson on Scopa, Vincent Smith, told reporters in Cape Town that his colleagues on the committee had taken note of developments.

Smith echoed an ANC statement that Yengeni should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. "We must allow the court (sic) to take its course."

Smith said his party was not linking the Yengeni arrests to the arms deal report, which has yet to be tabled by the three investigating agencies in Parliament.

"We don't want to pre-empt it. It would be premature."

Smith said the ANC component on Scopa would not bow to pressure from either the media or other parties.

"We will act in an independent manner," he said. 

With acknowledgment to Sapa and News24.