Johannesburg - There should be an investigation into the "role which President Thabo Mbeki played during the arms deal".

This is the view of ID leader Patricia De Lille and other politicians and analysts, who are calling for an entirely independent arms deal probe.

De Lille said untested allegations prompted the British, Swedish and Germans to investigate arms deal irregularities.

"The SA government failed to investigate the arms deal saga accordingly," said De Lille.

"At that time serious investigations should have taken place."

De Lille said the ANC sub-committee looking into the arms deal was odd, because the ANC was in effect investigating itself.

DA spokesman on the arms deal Eddie Trent agreed.

But ANC spokesman Tiyane Rikhotso said: "The committee is gathering internal information *1 for the ANC to respond to the challenges it may come across. I wouldn't call that investigations *2

With acknowledgements to Mpho Dube and Cape Argus.