Bloemfontein - Hefer Commission evidence leader Kessie Naidu announced yesterday that he would recommend that perjury charges be brought against former City Press editor Vusi Mona.

He would also ask that journalist Ranjeni Munusamy be called again to testify before the commission.

Naidu plans to argue both points on Friday before Judge Joos Hefer.

Naidu made these announcements at the start of yesterday's public commission hearing in Bloemfontein.

Both were in the light of a front-page apology to National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka that City Press published on Sunday.

Acting City Press editor Wally Mbhele said on Sunday that it had become clear there was no credible substance to reports suggesting that Ngcuka was or could have been an apartheid spy.

City Press was the first to reveal the spy allegations against Ngcuka, which triggered the appointment of the Hefer Commission.

The first report was mainly written by Munusamy.

She handed City Press the story after her own editor, Mathatha Tsedu of the rival Sunday Times, refused to publish it.

Mbhele on Sunday denied Mona's earlier testimony that he had consulted his senior editorial staff before deciding to run the story in City Press.

He said it had since become apparent that the information given to City Press at the time of publication was "devoid of truth, contrived and misleading".

Naidu said yesterday he would ask Hefer to refer Mona's evidence to the provincial director of public prosecutions to consider a charge of perjury.

Mona admitted to recklessness, among other things, when he testified before the commission last week. Naidu repeatedly questioned whether he was telling the truth.

At one stage Hefer admonished Mona to tell the truth, the whole truth, as required by the oath he had taken.

Munusamy refused to testify before the commission when she was called earlier. She is currently attempting to obtain the courts' protection from doing so.

The Bloemfontein High Court dismissed her appeal against Hefer's ruling that she must testify. She has since applied to the high court for leave to appeal to the Constitutional Court. Arguments have not yet been heard in this regard.

Munusamy's main argument was that testifying may force her to reveal confidential sources. Naidu's announcement indicates that he believes there are, despite the pending appeal process, reasonable grounds to subpoena her again.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and the Cape Times.