The South African Parliament's joint committee on ethics and members' interests has considered allegations against Deputy President Jacob Zuma and is expected to meet again next week pending the provision of further documentation.

Briefing the media after a meeting of the committee, chairman Luwellyn Landers said these documents were in addition to documents requested by the committee earlier.

The committee is considering whether the deputy president breached the parliamentary code by not appropriately disclosing his business and other interests in a register of interests.

Outlining the process, Landers noted that the Speaker of the National Assembly Frene Ginwala had received a document from the National Prosecuting Authority "setting out alleged breaches of the code by the deputy president".

This was referred to the registrar of members' interests - a parliamentary official - and in terms of the code the registrar was required to immediately inform the deputy president of the details.

The registrar had set out a summary of the allegations against Zuma and asked him to respond. "That is what took place. The response was received within the required time," Landers said, noting that the deputy president had given full cooperation to the committee.

Further investigation was carried out "and we called a meeting of the committee".

"We met two weeks ago and after consideration at that meeting we requested certain documentation from certain individuals. We received those. They are sworn affidavits. After a lengthy meeting today, the committee decided that we still needed further information before we proceed with the matter."

Landers said the documents "had better be available" when the committee met again "next Friday".

"At this stage there is no dispute between what we have before us, in other words the allegations, and the deputy president's response. If a dispute is declared a panel (of the committee to investigate) will be constituted."

It is alleged that a series of payments totalling more than a million rand were made to the deputy president from his financial adviser Schabir Shaik, who is facing criminal charges for alleged fraud and corruption.

With acknowledgements to I-Net Bridge and Business Day.