Mosiuoa Lekota, the defence minister and chairperson of the ruling ANC, might not be off the hook despite his fine and recommended reprimand from parliament's ethics committee this week.

Lekota could still face disciplinary action in terms of the ANC's own code of ethics and he could also face further action under parliament's executive members ethics code, which provides for the president to refer cases of misconduct to the public protector for further investigation.

Lekota was found by the ethics committee this week to have been negligent in not declaring his financial interest in a fuel distribution industry and a wine estate. But he was not found to have wilfully misled parliament.

The committee fined the minister R14 000 and recommended that Frene Ginwala, the speaker of the house of assembly, should send him a written reprimand. She is expected to react to the recommendation this week.

However, ANC officials have indicated that the issue of Lekota's failure to declare his interests could be raised from the floor at this weekend's meeting of the ANC's national executive committee. The DA has called on President Thabo Mbeki to fire Lekota.

The DA said that if Lekota were not fired - or failed to resign - the party would refer his case to the public protector.

On Saturday Douglas Gibson, the DA chief whip, said that Lekota's failure to disclose his business interests was a "blatant contravention" of the ANC's constitution.

"In terms of the ANC's own constitution, the national executive committee should refer Lekota's conduct to a national disciplinary committee."

Noting that the ANC's code was far more stringent for ministers than for MPs, Gibson said it required ministers to create "blind trusts" to contain their business interests and hand them over to an independent professional administrator.

Bheki Khumalo, the presidential spokesperson, said Mbeki would consider the matter once the parliamentary process had taken its course.

With acknowledgements to John Battersby and the Sunday Independent.