The ruling party in KwaZulu-Natal rallied behind two fraud-accused senior ANC members during a sitting of the provincial legislature on Thursday, criticising the conduct of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
"We remain of the firm belief that our comrades are innocent until proven otherwise and we shall stand fully behind them as the judicial process unfolds," said ANC chief whip Ravi Pillay during the sitting.
He was referring to recent media reports on the pending arrests of KwaZulu-Natal economic development and tourism MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu and Speaker of the legislature Peggy Nkonyeni.
The pair reportedly face fraud and corruption charges relating to a R1 million "donation" allegedly paid by South American businessman Gaston Savoi to the ANC in 2007 in exchange for a R45 million government tender.
Pillay slammed the NPA for leaking information on the case to the media.
He said this amounted to a trial by media which was not in the interest of justice.
"The caucus finds the conduct of the NPA in this matter regrettable and deplorable, the trial in the media that comrades Nkonyeni and Mabuyakhulu have been subjected to, as a direct result of premature utterances by the NPA in the media, is totally unacceptable and prejudices their right to a fair trial," said Pillay.
He also called on Justice Minister Jeff Radebe to investigate how the leaks occurred, stressing that law enforcement agencies should be held responsible for protecting the integrity of the justice system.
NPA spokesman McIntosh Polela earlier this month confirmed that warrants of arrest had been issued for Mabuyakhulu and Nkonyeni.
The warrants have not been executed yet.
"We do not comment on warrants. We only comment once a person has been arrested," Polela said at the time.
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