President Kgalema Motlanthe is not responsible for the bungled sale of a Saxonwold house he briefly rented, the presidency said on Sunday.

"He did not have an agreement with the owners of the house. The deal to purchase the house was between another party and the owners," said presidential spokesman Thabo Masebe.

Masebe was responding to a story in the Sunday Times that said Motlanthe was accused of abandoning a house valued at R6-million with damages totalling R500 000.

The Sunday Times alleged that an African National Congress benefactor Sandy Majali found the house for the president in May and a consultant of one of his companies signed the sale agreement.

The purchase agreement signed by Molotsi Sifora of ML Sifora Consultancy apparently gave him until 20 October to provide guarantees for a loan.

After difficulties in accessing a loan, an attorney for Sifora made a verbal settlement offer on 27 November to the home's owner Mark Burnett which he accepted.

Burnett told the Sunday Times he was also told Motlanthe had left the house at 2am that morning.

A day later, the settlement offer was withdrawn.

On Sunday, Masebe said Motlanthe did stay at that house in question. However, "it wasn't brought on his behalf, he was renting it".

Masebe said Motlanthe made an arrangement to rent the house through Sifora and left to move into his official residence.

He said the owner's queries about the house sale or damage should be directed to Sifora. "They must speak to the company with whom they had a contract."

He said inferences drawn from Motlanthe leaving the house in the middle of the night were "nonsense".

He said the time of Motlanthe's move would have been determined for him by vehicle protection services and the police.

The Sunday Times said Majali — who was allegedly involved in the house's purchase — was previously implicated in the Oilgate saga when R11-million of taxpayers' money from state oil company PetroSA was allegedly used to fund the ANC's election campaign.

On Sunday, Masebe said although Motlanthe knew Majali they did not have a specific relationship.

"They know each other. Sandi did some work for the ANC. Kgalema knew him there."

Asked if she had any comment on the Sunday Times story, ANC spokeswoman Jessie Duarte said: "No please. We are not interested in gossip stories. Thank you very much."