Former City Press editor Vusi Mona, after being savaged during cross-examination at the Hefer Commission, has taken another drubbing - from his former peers.

In a statement last night, the SA National Editors' Forum (Sanef) lambasted Mona for breaching "all the rules of professional conduct" by attending an off-the-record briefing by National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka to black editors, and then publishing what had been discussed and repeating it at the commission.

"The principle of confidentiality of sources and information is regarded as sacrosanct by journalists, many of whom have gone to jail to uphold the principle ... Mr Mona may have had reasons for disquiet at what he says took place at the briefing, but the professional rules of journalistic conduct provide for an ethical standard of conduct to deal with such situations."

The statement said that if Mona had disagreed with what had been said at the briefing, he should immediately have made his feelings known and left the meeting.

"Sanef believes that in disclosing the contents of the briefing, Mr Mona has seriously discredited himself as a journalist," the statement said.

Yesterday, at the inquiry, advocate Norman Arendse, counsel for Justice Minister Penuell Maduna, tried hard to show that Mona had another reason for divulging the contents of the briefing. He questioned Mona's stated motive for breaching the confidentiality convention, namely that he felt it was his "citizen's duty".

He denied he was influenced by Ngcuka's announcement of the prima facie corruption case against Deputy President Jacob Zuma.

He also denied that the publication in The Star of allegations against himself had prompted him to accuse Ngcuka.

The Star questioned Mona's professional ethics by alleging that he was involved with a communications company that won a contract to improve the Mpumalanga government's image. Mona resigned as editor as a result.

Under cross-examination yesterday, Mona admitted eventually that he was for a few days under the wrong impression that Ngcuka's investigating unit, the Scorpions, were investigating him for this. This was later corrected.

With acknowledgements to the Staff Reporter, Sapa and The Star.