Johannesburg: Opposition parties welcomed the four-year prison term given to former ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni yesterday but the ANC itself held back its comment until the outcome of Yengeni's appeal against the sentence.

ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama said the party had noted the sentence and the statement by Yengeni's lawyer that he intended to appeal.

"As the matter is therefore still before the court, the ANC will not make a substantive statement at this point. It will do so once all legal processes have been completed," he said.

Pretoria's Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sentenced Yengeni to four years in prison - without the option of a fine - for defrauding parliament.

Pan Africanist Congress MP Patricia de Lille, who raised concerns about the Yengeni scandal early on, said the sentence showed "crime does not pay".

"This sends a message to other members of parliament and officials that they are not above the law."

De Lille praised the judiciary for their handling of the case. She thanked the elite Scorpions unit for their investigation, and the media for "their investigative journalism".

"It was a combination of the police, the media and the whistle-blowers that resulted in a conviction," she said.

The Democratic Alliance said it believed the sentence was "appropriately severe".

DA chief whip Douglas Gibson said: "The public will be wondering whether Mr Yengeni is the only person who will pay for his dishonesty or whether others involved in the arms scandal will end up being punished."

The Inkatha Freedom Party's chief whip, Koos van de Merwe, said: "The IFP is satisfied that the law has run its course and that the judiciary has upheld the principle that MPs must adhere to the very highest standards of integrity in public life. We hope that this example will serve as a deterrent to all MPs."

The United Democratic Movement said: "We believe justice has been done at last ... The sentencing of Mr Yengeni must inspire the Scorpions to arrest other guilty parties in the arms deal. For instance, there were 30 other high-ranking people who received discounted vehicles."

The Azanian People's Organisation said Yengeni's "fraudulent conduct is not only an embarrassment to the ruling party, but to parliament itself".

"He has certainly tainted the integrity of this highest institution in the land. And he cannot be left off lightly for it."

The African Christian Democratic Party said: "The sentence should serve as a warning for other MPs to ... uphold high standards. We must be vigilant and guard against being side-tracked by temptation."

With acknowledgements to Sapa and Cape Times.