The ANC came to the defence of cabinet ministers accused of wasting tax payers money by staying at ''luxury" hotels - and said it was ''sensationalism of the highest order".

The ruling party said in a statement issued yesterday that the ''attack" on its ministers confirmed its long-held suspicion that ANC ministers were being ''targeted".

''There is nothing immoral, illegal or unconstitutional in public representatives staying in hotels, as this is not a breach of the Public Finance Management Act, or the provisions of the Ministerial Handbook," said the ruling party's spokesman, Jackson Mthembu.

The furore over cabinet members spending millions of rands on hotel accommodation came as more reports over ''extravagant" spending by minsters was published.

Last week, the Democratic Alliance published its wasteful expenditure monitor table, setting out spending by the ANC considered to be wasteful or excessive.

It reported that since President Jacob Zuma was elected president, government departments and state-owned enterprises had blown more that R1.5-billion on cars, parties, World Cup tickets and other luxuries.

But the ANC said yesterday the media was ''failing" in its work to ''properly inform" the public about laws governing accommodation of public representatives.

''In line with the Ministerial Handbook and prescripts governing public representatives, c abinet ministers, MPs MECs and MPLs are entitled to stay in hotels while their permanent accommodation is not yet ready for occupation," Mthembu said.

''No luxury can be derived in staying and working from a hotel environment, where you do not have the privacy you would enjoy staying in a proper home," he said.