ID leader Patricia de Lille says she will go to jail if necessary to protect her sources when she testifies in the corruption trial of Schabir Shaik.

As a former PAC MP, De Lille was approached by a group of whistleblowers within the ANC, who asked her to go public about the alleged corruption in the arms deal.

The so-called "De Lille dossier" contained several claims and implicated some senior ANC politicians in alleged corruption.

She first raised the issue publicly in parliament and also handed over the information to the then Health Special Investigating Unit. Judge Willem Heath was later removed from a multi-agency inquiry into the arms deal, raising questions about the government's motives.

De Lille said she had been vilified and insulted in the past when she refused to disclose her sources and would continue to protect them.

She would not be prepared to expose them in a court of law when testifying or under cross-examination.

Asked if she would be willing to go to jail to protect them, she said: "I will. I certainly will. If I am to protect them, I will take that risk."

However, the names of her sources were not important.

"It's the substance of the claims that are important. Many of the allegations have proved to be correct, including (then ANC MP) Tony Yengeni's role. The encrypted fax was also raised in the dossier," De Lille said.

With acknowledgements to Angela Quintal and the Cape Times.