The African National Congress is once again in a knot over allegations that its chairman and defence minister, Mosiuoa Lekota, failed to declare directorships in companies which could lead to conflict of interest.

With the opposition screaming for Lekota's head, parliament's ethics committee chairman Llewellyn Landers refused to comment. "I cannot speak to you," he said.

Lekota has admitted to failing to disclose 33 percent shares in Prestprops 1169 and a five percent share in Prestprops 1209 which trade as BZL Petroleum - acquired in 2001. Also, he did not disclose his directorship of BZL, that of Landzicht wine cellar from 2001 and directorship of GWK last year, a holding company of Landzicht.

BZL boasts a 60 percent market share in the Harrismith and Bethlehem areas. A director of BZL reportedly told Mail & Guardian reporters that they were hoping to clinch a contract with the Department of Defence and were on the verge of securing a deal with Spoornet but this failed. It has business premises in Harrismith worth R3-million and sells more than two million litres of diesel each month.

Landzicht is a regular supplier of wines to functions of the Free State government. Landzicht the Trade and Industry Department reportedly paid 80 percent of the cost of Landzicht's exhibitions in two overseas countries. Last year it exhibited wines in Moscow at a function organised by the South African embassy.

Democratic Alliance chief whip Douglas Gibson has already called for the firing or resignation of Lekota in the wake of the allegations. Because he was a minister, his breach of the code was more serious, Gibson said.

The Freedom Front said an apology was not sufficient and the ethics committee should meet to investigate Lekota's conduct.

The ethics committee, charged with enforcing a code for all members of parliament to declare gifts of over R350 and any directorships or shares they hold in companies, has found itself in the same problem with former ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni and former ANC women's League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

The committee, which has a registrar of members' interests, has powers to investigate complaints lodged by a member or to initiate its own investigations based on allegations. So far, the committee has been reluctant to initiate its own hearings.

When Yengeni failed to disclose property in Milnerton, the committee gave him a warning. With regard to the Madikizela-Mandela, the committee was accused of dragging its feet, even faced with evidence of Madikizela-Mandela playing games with it. She was accused and found guilty of failing to disclose the extra income from well-wishers which supplemented her monthly expenditure of over R70 000.

Eventually, the committee recommended a public censure by the National Assembly Speaker Frene Ginwala, and docking two weeks of her salary. But Madikizela-Mandela challenged this and lost in court. She later resigned from parliament after being convicted for fraud and sentenced to six years in jail in another matter.

With acknowledgements to Charles Phahlane and the Sunday Argus.