Deputy President Jacob Zuma ordered that a file containing an investigation into Ngcuka's alleged spy activities should not be handed to Justice Minister Penuel Maduna.

This was former intelligence operative Mo Shaik's testimony to the Hefer Commission on Wednesday.

Shaik said the order was made at a reception in parliament, in Cape Town in 2001. He said Maduna asked him if Ngcuka had been investigated by the African National Congress intelligence.

"I approached Zuma, who was there, and related the inquiry to him. I was told by him not to confirm the investigation and not to release the files to Maduna," Shaik said.

Shaik was not questioned by his counsel on why Zuma gave him the instruction. Nor was he asked for his views on why Maduna made the inquiry. It is expected that counsel for Maduna, Norman Arendse, would question him on his statement.

Shaik said after the function he left for Germany, where he was a diplomat. He returned to South Africa in December 2002.

At this time he read in newspapers that there was a series of investigations into Zuma, Mac Maharaj and Schabir Shaik and he then reconstructed his analysis of the ANC intelligence reports.

"Having left intelligence, I re-obtained my database and reconstructed my analysis of the report.

"I then felt compelled to make senior members of the intelligence community aware of this," Shaik said, adding he gave the reconstructed report to Zuma in December 2002.

Shaik spent today providing circumstances which led to suspicions by some ANC intelligence officials that Ngcuka could have collaborated with the apartheid government.

He said he was "obsessed" with the identity of apartheid agent RS452 and spent a lot of time on the issue.

Shaik was part of the Mandla Jackson Khuzwayo Unit, known as the MJK Unit, headed by Zuma. He said the ANC was heavily infiltrated by agents from the security branch and at one stage they knew of 888 agents.

With acknowledgements to Estelle Ellis, Jeremy Gordin and The Star.