Balfour's expensive car: Who's the rat?

While Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour is fuming over mysterious accusations that he did not declare a luxury car as a gift, the parliamentary ethics committee is still awaiting his explanation.

The furious Balfour denied that his German sport utility vehicle was a gift.

He has demanded to know the identity of the accuser in order to take legal action.

His reaction, of going public, has also surprised some members of the ethics committee who made a discreet inquiry into the minister as a matter of procedure.

On Thursday, Luwellyn Landers, who chairs the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members Interests, was bemused at the ministry publicly defending Balfour instead of answering their queries.

Landers said all an MP had to do when contacted about a complaint was to respond to his committee which would then decide whether or not to pursue the matter.

The committee had written three letters to the minister explaining the procedure that they followed but was still awaiting his official response, Landers said.

Landers did not disclose the nature of the allegation against Balfour, but according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the minister's office, an unidentified complainant claimed that Balfour did not declare that he received a black Volkswagen Touareg as a gift.

Balfour says he has the paperwork to rubbish the allegation.

After learning about the complaint, Balfour this week came out with guns blazing and the ethics committee faces a situation where a hopping-mad Balfour wants the name of his accuser.

A senior Correctional Services official said that the minister had tried in vain to establish the name of the complainant.

"It has not come out clearly who is the source of this. They (the committee) said your obligation is to respond to the allegation. He has responded that he wants to personally appear before the committee," explained the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to Correctional Services, the saga is playing out against a backdrop of intrigue at the department.

"The past few days have been strenuous on the department of correctional services because of the divisive e-mails and articles sent by unknown, faceless individuals who seek to create division within the department. However, truth will prevail and everything will come afore," said spokesperson Bheki Manzini.

Balfour apparently wanted to appear before the ethics committee which was scheduled to meet on Friday but will now only convene next week.

The minister apparently planned to present the ethics committee with the documentation to prove that the accusation was baseless.

In a statement, Balfour's office says that the minister had bought the vehicle in 2006 as his personal car and had fully financed it and personally been paying the instalments.