Parliament's powerful intelligence committee has come out in defence of the State intelligence agencies who are refusing to co-operate with the Hefer spy probe.

At the same time, Deputy President Jacob Zuma has launched a fresh campaign against Scorpions boss Bulelani Ngcuka.

Former Transport Minister Mac Maharaj and an associate, Mo Shaik - both of whom were senior ANC intelligence operatives under Zuma during the anti-Apartheid struggle - have claimed that Ngcuka was investigated by the ANC for being an apartheid spy.

But the intelligence committee took a swipe at Maharaj and Shaik on Thursday, saying the onus was on the accusers to prove their allegations against Ngcuka.

While it welcomed the appointment of the Hefer Commission, Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence said it was alarmed by Hefer's attempts to force the country's intelligence agencies to hand over secret documents.

"The Committee views with alarm and serious concern the issuing of subpoenas by the Hefer Commission to South Africa's intelligence and security services compelling them to provide classified and or sensitive information that will purportedly serve the Commission's purpose," Committee chairman Siyabonga Cwele said in a statement yesterday.

The statement said that ignoring the laws relating to national security to satisfy the objectives of the Hefer Commission would have "serious consequences" for South Africa, both at home and abroad.

"It is a universally accepted principle that information in the possession of the intelligence services cannot be made public."

"This includes especially the names of sources, agents, operatives and the identities of members," the statement said.

It said it supported the positions taken by the intelligence services at the Hefer Commission.

"We believe that the Intelligence and Security Services should not be embroiled in this matter and that those who have brought the matter into the public domain should provide the basis for their allegations to be tested by the Commission without causing databases and files of the intelligence and security services to be inspected at a great risk to the constitutional mandate of these structures," the statement said.

A spokesperson for Ngcuka, Sipho Ngwema, said the National Director of Public Prosecutions had "always contended that it is the responsibility of Mo Shaik and Mac Maharaj to supply documents that prove their allegation".

If a government agency had information on Ngcuka's alleged spying activities, the cabinet would not have decided to establish a judicial commission, said Ngwema.

"All these intelligence agencies report to cabinet ministers, so if there was such information, the ministers would have provided that information to the cabinet. It's only because government doesn't have that information that they established the Commission."

"Why would we spend millions of rands on a Commission if that information was readily available to government?"

Meanwhile, Zuma has lodged a formal complaint with Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana about investigation into his financial affairs, charging that Ngcuka is abusing his powers.

Zuma claimed that the investigations into his affairs were continuing despite public statements that they had been concluded and that Ngcuka seemed intent on keeping him under a "permanent cloud of suspicion".

The Deputy President said he was left "with no alternative but to conclude that the investigation was designed in the main to further agendas that remain unknown to me".

Zuma said that his complaint about the investigations by the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions over the past three years focused "on the abuse of power".

Zuma said the off-the-record briefing between the National Director and a select group of black editors in July "substantiates the view that the release of personal and confidential information about me to the media is part of a campaign aimed at destroying my reputation and to perpetuate mysterious agendas, rather than to further the course of justice".

With acknowledgements to Jeremy Michaels, Andre Koopman and the Pretoria News.