Journalists almost outnumber accused and accusers on the provisional list of witnesses lined up to testify before the Hefer commission of inquiry, which is due to start with public hearings on Thursday.

The commission broke its two-week silence on the key witnesses who would be called to determine whether Justice Minister Penuell Maduna and Scorpions chief Bulelani Ngcuka misused their offices due to allegations that they were apartheid impimpis.

Four journalists, including two editors, have been asked to testify before the commission, while another has offered to start the public hearings with a voluntary submission arguing that journalists should not be compelled to testify.

Two of them would open the proceedings on Thursday, after which the accusers, veteran African National Congress member Mac Maharaj and former intelligence operative Mo Shaik, will take the stand.

Maduna and Ngcuka would be the last to appear before the commission, which would be conducted in the appeals court in Bloemfontein.

The voluntary submission would be made by veteran journalist Raymond Louw on behalf of the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) and will argue why no journalist should give evidence before a commission, among others because their lives could be endangered.

Commission secretary John Bacon said the first witness that would then be called by retired judge Joos Hefer to testify would be Ranjeni Munasamy, the former Sunday Times journalist who first wrote about the allegations that Ngcuka was a former security police agent, code-named RS452.

Munasamy originally refused to give evidence, but was since subpoenaed to appear.

"If I don't appear, I would be arrested for the wrong reasons," Munasamy said on Monday.

"It is criminal not to appear. My legal team will obviously petition judge Hefer to desist from forcing me to reveal my sources and disclose my documents, because for me the paramount concern is the protection of sources and documents."

Bacon said the next witness will be ANC veteran Mac Maharaj, who publicly backed up Munasamy's story after it appeared in a rival newspaper, City Press, leading to her suspension and resignation.

Her former Sunday Times editor, Matata Tshedu, and the City Press editor who agreed to publish the article, Vusi Mona, along with one of his staff members, Elias Maluleke, are also scheduled to take the stand.

Following Maharaj in the dock is foreign affairs special advisor and former ANC intelligence operative Mo Shaik, who also backed up the spying allegations.

Ngcuka, the national director of public prosecutions, has maintained his innocence in the face of the allegations, which surfaced in the wake of his comments that the Scorpions have found prima facie evidence of corruption against Deputy President Jacob Zuma, but decided not to prosecute him.

Shaik's brother, Shabir, was however charged on some of the allegations relating to Zuma.

With acknowledgements to the Daily News and Independent Online.