Opposition parties have demanded that Justice Minister Penuell Maduna explain allegations that he was involved in nepotism and corruption in his department.

"Minister Maduna must deal with these allegations decisively," Democratic Alliance MP Hendrik Schmidt said yesterday.

"If they are untrue, he must clear his name. If they are true, he must suffer the consequences."

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said the allegations were serious. "We urge President Mbeki to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate this matter," he said.

The opposition comments came after the online publication Moneyweb published a story claiming that a senior civil servant in the Justice Ministry, Mike Tshishonga, had accused Maduna of the "exploitation and abuse of state apparatus and the infrastructure of the department ... for the purposes of advancing his personal interests and agendas".

He claimed that Maduna had meddled in the affairs of the Master's Business Unit, which is responsible for the country's multibillion-rand liquidations industry, by "direct intervention".

This had "confounded the rule of law by undermining the framework of the Master's Business Unit in terms of the appointment of liquidators", Tshishonga told Moneyweb.

Tshishonga also claimed there was "obvious nepotism" in Maduna's apparent close relationship with Enver Motala, a Johannesburg-based businessman whom Maduna had appointed as a liquidator of the Retail Apparel Group in Pietermaritzburg.

Maduna's office was not available for comment.

With acknowledgements to Jeremy Michaels and The Star.