He sweated, squirmed and stumbled through cross-examination.

Now former City Press editor Vusi Mona has until Friday to convince the Hefer Commission that he did not lie - and escape criminal prosecution.

Yesterday, advocate Kessie Naidu SC led evidence to the commission that he was "giving Vusi Mona notice that he must persuade me not to hand the transcript of his evidence to the National Director of Public Prosecutions to have him charged with perjury".

Mona left photographers sprinting after him in his haste to get away from the commission on Friday. Now it seems he will have to return.

Naidu's words followed a statement issued by City Press at the weekend, which contradicted two main elements of Mona's evidence:

Mona said he had the support of senior editorial staff at City Press to make public the contents of an off-the-record briefing between National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka and a group of black editors.

In an apology to Ngcuka published on the newspaper's front page on Sunday, the following was said by City Press acting editor Wally Mbele: "Mona's intimation to the commission that the City Press senior editorial team supported his strictly personal endeavour to break ranks with editors of other publications by putting the contents of an off-the-record briefing by Ngcuka in the public domain is rejected."

Mona repeatedly denied under cross-examination that he gave a copy of notes, taken at the briefing, to City Press.

On Friday, Naidu pointed out to him that there were "remarkable similarities" in the "turns of phrase" used by Mona in his complaint about the briefing to the Public Protector and the "document" published by City Press, which was signed "Concerned Citizen".

"Are you the author of this document?" Naidu asked Mona. "And I want you to be candid with the commission." "No, I am not," Mona said.

"Explain this to me. Let me help you, Mr Mona. It points to you being the author and distributor of this document," said Naidu.

Mona then said it could have been written by public relations agent Dominic Ncele, as he had discussed it with him over supper.

Naidu was not convinced. "I am suggesting to you that you are hiding something. And if you are, come out with it," he said.

To some extent City Press at the weekend came out with it on Mona's behalf. Its statement read further: "Mona - again after stepping down - sent his version of what transpired at the Ngcuka briefing to the Public Protector, the Chief Justice, the Human Rights Commission, the Minister of Justice and to City Press.

"In doing so, he put the issue in the public domain. City Press reported on his actions but refrained from publishing his version of events."

With acknowledgements to Estelle Ellis and The Star.