Johannesburg - The name of former transport minister Mac Maharaj has been abruptly removed from the African National Congress's list of candidates for next year's general election.

ANC delegates attending the party's candidate-list conference were also shocked to hear of the decision by Environmental Affairs Minister Valli Moosa to decline his nomination.

Maharaj was nominated by ANC branches, but excluded at the party's national list conference late last week.

Maharaj is at the centre of spy allegations levelled against the national director of public prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, which led to the formation of the current Hefer Commission of Inquiry.

His name was removed from the list after his admission before the commission last week that he did not really know whether Ngcuka was an apartheid spy or not.

The ANC conference made few changes to the list submitted by the party's provincial structures after the committee which drew up the list, submitted a consolidated list.

Business tycoons Cyril Ramaphosa and Tokyo Sexwale both declined their nominations.

Moosa is understood to have sent a letter to the ANC's secretary-general, Kgalema Motlanthe, in which he indicated he was unavailable for political office after the 2004 election.

Moosa's decision follows that of Justice Minister Penuell Maduna, who was lambasted by the ANC for going public about his intention to step down before he had informed his party bosses. He has finally written to Motlanthe's office and sent a copy of the letter to President Thabo Mbeki.

With acknowledgements to Jimmy Seepe and the City Press.