President Thabo Mbeki should dismiss Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and refer the matter of his failure to disclose certain business interests to parliament to the Public Protector, under the Executive Members' Ethics Act, says the Democratic Alliance.

If Mbeki did not refer the matter to the Public Protector, he would do so himself, DA chief whip Douglas Gibson said yesterday.

Earlier, parliament's joint ethics committee sanctioned Lekota for failing to comply with the provisions of the parliamentary code of conduct.

Committee chairman Luwellyn Landers said the committee found Lekota was negligent in making incomplete disclosures of his interests. "The committee, however, found no evidence that the minister wilfully withheld information with the intention to mislead parliament," Landers said.

The committee recommended that Speaker Frene Ginwala issue a written reprimand to Lekota, and that he be fined one week's salary.

In terms of the Executive Members' Ethics Act, the Public Protector had to probe any alleged breach by a minister of the code, Gibson said.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and the Cape Times.