Former City Press editor Vusi Mona refused on Thursday to reveal before the Hefer Commission further sources of the spy claim against chief prosecutor Bulelani Ngcuka.

His Sunday paper was the first to report in September on the allegations against the national director of public prosecutions.

Mona admitted on Thursday under cross-examination that journalist Ranjeni Munusamy had shared her sources for the story with him.

Munusamy, employed at the time by rival paper Sunday Times, handed documents purporting to support the spy claim to City Press. This was after the Sunday Times had refused to publish the story.

Mona identified on Thursday only former security policeman Gideon Nieuwoudt, who had already been mentioned before the commission as one of Munusamy's sources.

He added that she mentioned at the time 15 to 18 names of people she had spoken to during her investigation. They were from the former security police, the intelligence community and the former Mass Democratic Movement, successor to the United Democratic Front.

Mona testified that City Press journalist Elias Maluleke met some of the sources at the Johannesburg Airport in the week before the story was published. He shared their names with his editor.

However, Maluleke had given them an undertaking not to disclose their identities and he could not breach that, Mona said.

Judge Joos Hefer refused to make a ruling ordering Mona to reveal the sources.

He told the cross-examining Advocate Norman Arendse, counsel for Justice Minister Penuell Maduna, that it was "a bit of a subterfuge" to get to Munusamy's sources.

If Munusamy had a (legitimate) reason not to reveal her sources, then it was wrong to discover them in such a roundabout way, Hefer said.

He was referring to Munusamy's pending appeal application in the Bloemfontein High Court. She has requested leave to appeal against the high court's refusal to grant her protection from having to testify before the Hefer Commission.

This followed an earlier ruling by Hefer that she must testify.

Mona's cross-examination continues.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and www.iol.co.za.