Former African National Congress chief whip Tony Yengeni's long leave from Parliament was being reviewed, ANC chief whip Nathi Nhleko said on Thursday.

Yengeni, who resigned as chief whip in October 2001 after his arrest, was granted paid leave from Parliament pending his trial on corruption and fraud charges.

He opted to remain an ordinary MP but has not been seen in Parliament since. The ANC said in April this year, Yengeni had been granted extended leave to prepare for his trial.

However, his trial was postponed last month to January 16 next year.

"We are undertaking some discussions also to clarify ourselves on the matter ...to review the situation," Nhleko said in reply to whether Yengeni would return to work for Parliament's third and fourth terms.

Yengeni's salary dropped from R378 804 a year to a backbencher's pay of R302 280 after his resignation.

ANC moves to fine absentee MPs

Meanwhile, in a move to crack its whip against chronic absenteeism in Parliament, the ANC has unveiled a plan to fine its MPs up to R2000 a month should they stay away from work without permission.

ANC MPs have been asked to sign consent forms authorising the fines to deducted from their salary cheques, the party's chief whip Nathi Nhleko told a media briefing in Parliament on Thursday.

The process of gathering the necessary signatures began on August 5, and it was hoped it will be completed by August 22.

The money would be paid into the party's caucus fund, he said.

An ANC MP who was absent from Parliament without permission would be fined R500 a time. However, the amount would be capped at R2000 a month.

"It's a measure that seeks to deter people from this sort of behaviour," Nhleko said.

The party in Parliament was also reviewing the way it exercised discipline over its members.

Winnie to be dealt with separately

Among those notorious for their absenteeism is ANC Women's League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Nhleko repeated that in terms of an ANC national executive committee decision, the party's national leadership was dealing separately with her absenteeism, her snubbing of Parliament's ethics committee, and "broader issues relating to her situation".

"It's an issue that has been left up to national leadership to engage with, and sort out and then report accordingly... We will always be directed by those particular deliberations."

Parliament's ethics committee will next week deal with Madikizela-Mandela's failure to appear before it for a second time on Wednesday, he said.

She failed to appear before a seven-member panel on Wednesday to answer claims that she received donations of R50 000 a month and had not disclosed these in the register of members' interests.

ANC deputy chief whip Andries Nel said the party's code of conduct was what bound members, and the consent and authority form was merely an administrative mechanism to facilitate collection of the fines.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and www.iafrica.co.za