The African National Congress (ANC) lashed out yesterday at Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon for urging an extension of the terms of reference of the Hefer commission to include corruption allegations against Deputy President Jacob Zuma.

This is the second time the ANC has closed ranks around Zuma after Scorpions boss Bulelani Ngcuka said he would not prosecute Zuma despite the existence of prima facie evidence of corruption against him.

ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama accused Leon of "playing politics with the due process of law".

"The DA knows full well there are existing state institutions charged with the responsibility of investigating allegations of criminal behaviour."

Ngonyama also reiterated President Thabo Mbeki's weekend comments that the Hefer commission was established for a specific purpose to investigate allegations of apartheid-era spying against Ngcuka and Justice Minister Penuell Maduna.

To expand its function "to satisfy the narrow political aims" of the DA would effectively undermine the criminal justice system and due legal process, he said.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary ethics committee has called for more documents before making a decision on whether or not Zuma had contravened the MPs' code of ethics.

Addressing an impromptu news conference yesterday, committee chairman Luwellyn Landers said the charges against Zuma were that he allegedly failed to disclose an interest in a company or a close corporation; that he failed to disclose benefits in the declaration of members' interests; and that he may have lobbied for remuneration.

Landers stressed the committee could not encroach on the "turf" of the court case in which Zuma's financial adviser and close associate, Schabir Shaik, has been charged with corruption, fraud and a charge in terms of the Income Tax Act.

Zuma is mentioned frequently in the charge sheet.

The report of public protector Lawrence Mushwana, which has cleared Zuma of wrongdoing, and the initial letter to the committee from Ngcuka, were being taken into consideration during the committee's deliberations, Landers said.

He also said the committee had been given a comprehensive report by Fazela Mohamed, Parliament's registrar of members' interests. The report had been discussed at length, he said, and further documents had been requested so that the committee could take the matter further.

He said while Zuma would be treated no differently from any other MP, there was a sense of the importance of this case in the committee's deliberations.

Landers said it was unclear at this stage whether Zuma would appear before the committee. He said Zuma had responded to it, giving "excellent co-operation".

With acknowledgements to Wyndham Hartley, Hopewell Radebe and the Business Day.