More allegations about Carl Niehaus, the ANC's former spokesperson, emerged over the weekend. The party, however, remains tight-lipped.

"The ANC doesn't respond to articles in the Sunday Times. We said what we needed to say on Friday," ANC spokesperson Jesse Duarte told Sapa on Sunday.

On Friday, the ANC held a press briefing confirming Niehaus's resignation after the Mail and Guardian reported allegations of fraud against Niehaus, most of which he admitted to in an interview with the paper.

The Sunday Times reported that Niehaus allegedly was facing eviction from his R45 000 a month home after apparently owing his landlord over R300 000.

The paper published text messages allegedly sent by Niehaus to his landlord in which the former blamed the ANC's "serious organisation challenges" for the lack of payment.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Niehaus said that after he was hired by the ANC, and paid an advance of R30 000, the party failed to pay him for three months.

"They were messing me around. There was a delay in payment and the finalisation of my contract," he said in the interview.

On Friday, the Mail and Guardian reported that Niehaus was alleged to have forged the signatures of senior Gauteng officials, including former finance MEC and current premier, Paul Mashatile while he was the chief executive of the Gauteng Economic Development Agency.

The Mail and Guardian reported that the letter was an attempt to secure a loan from a businessman who had wanted favourable conditions related to Johannesburg property deals. He also admitted to having received R70 000 from murdered mining entrepreneur Brett Kebble.

The Mail and Guardian report said that Niehaus's financial problems were caused by his "extravagant" lifestyle.

Fresh allegations

The Sunday World also published fresh allegations concerning Niehaus's spending. The paper reported that Niehaus was arrested in Sun City after failing to pay his R70 000 bill. In an interview with the paper, Niehaus confirmed that he was arrested and spent a night in jail. He said the bill was ultimately settled.

Also in the Sunday Times was an interview with ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe. Mantashe said the ANC had been aware that Niehaus had been "relieved of his duties" at Geda but that the organisation believed in helping its cadres.

"There is no poor judgement in assisting cadres of the movement who have gone through difficult periods," said Mantashe in the interview.

Mantashe has said that Niehaus will be re-deployed to another position within the ANC.

In a statement, Democratic Alliance spokesman Ryan Coetzee accused Mantashe of not being committed to the ANC's promises to stamp out corruption.

"Mantashe's [statements] are the clearest indication of why corruption has become endemic in South Africa under the ANC," he said.

"The party cannot distinguish right from wrong, and is all too easily prone to excusing criminal acts on the basis that members of the ANC should be held to a different and lower moral standard from the rest of South Africa," added Coetzee.

AfriForum also issued a statement which criticised the ANC's decision to re-deploy Niehaus.

"The ANC's decision sends the negative message to prospective criminals and all who are already involved in criminal activities that the ANC condones their actions and will not take severe action against them," said Deputy CEO Alana Baily in the statement.