Former African National Congress chief whip Tony Yengeni pleaded guilty on Thursday to a charge of fraud as part of a plea agreement with the State.

In return, the politician would be acquitted on the main charge of corruption.

Yengeni was charged with corruption for allegedly buying a luxury 4x4 Mercedes Benz at a 47 percent discount in return for using his influence to "market" the products of Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG or Daimler-Benz Areospace SA.

He faced an alternative count of fraud for failing to disclose the benefit to parliament.

His co-accused Michael Woerfel, then head of Daimler Benz's Pretoria representative office is charged with corruption for allegedly arranging the car deal.

Both men were charged with fraud for the alleged false representation made in the agreement of sale.

In a written plea agreement handed to the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday, Yengeni pleaded guilty on the alternative charge as well as that related to the sale agreement.

The two charges were incorporated into a single fraud charge in the plea agreement.

The court still has to decide whether to accept the plea agreement. If it does Woerfel's trial will continue separately.

Both men initially pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Woerfel has not yet made a statement in court on Thursday

Yengeni was at the time chairman of parliament's joint standing committee on defence.

In his plea agreement Yengeni conceded that he violated his position in Parliament and the trust of the people of South Africa.

He had a duty to act as an independent and impartial overseer and not to accept any improper advantage or benefit.

He failed to act in good faith, he said.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and iafrica.com.