President Jacob Zuma will have to provide good reasons for allowing Transport Minister S'bu Ndebele permission to keep his luxury Mercedes Benz S500, the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) has said.

A furore has erupted around the R1.1-million car Ndebele received as a gift from multi-billion rand government contractors.

Ndebele, the former KwaZulu-Natal premier, said no conflict of interest existed because it was intended to thank him for creating a platform for small contractors in the province. He said it was not linked to his position as Transport Minister.

However, according to the Executive Code of Ethics, the president is required to decide on whether or not a Cabinet minister may keep a gift valued at over R1000.

"If it's granted then the gift must be disclosed in a register. If it's refused then the obligation is upon the receiver of the gift to either decline it, return the gift or to surrender it to the state," said the PSAM’s Jay Kruuse.

The African National Congress' Tripartite Alliance partners, COSATU and the South African Communist Party, have called for Ndebele to give the car back to Vukuzakhe Emerging Contractors.

Eyewitness News

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