President Kgalema Motlanthe has not asked Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour to review Schabir Shaik's medical parole, his spokesperson said on Monday.

Motlanthe's spokesperson Thabo Masebe said the president only referred the matter to the attention of Minister Balfour.

"The DA earlier wrote to the president asking him to institute an enquiry into Shaik's parole but he wrote back and he said he would not do it and the right person to approach would be the minister of correctional services," he said.

"He said he would refer the request to the attention of the minister."

The Times reported on Monday that President Motlanthe had asked Balfour to review Shaik's medical parole.

Masebe said the Democratic Alliance's letter was forwarded to Balfour's office late last week.

"The president has not personally spoken to the minister," said Masebe.

Balfour's spokesperson Manelisi Wolela said he was not sure if the minister had received the letter yet.

"We will not comment before we have received the correspondence from the president," he said.

Masebe said Motlanthe would not interfere with the matter and the decision was entirely in Balfour's court.

Wolela did not give any indication of whether Balfour would review Shaik's parole.