Sakkie Jenner, the ID's Western Cape Provincial Chairperson, says 'the Independent Democrats welcomes Premier Ebrahim Rasool's announcement that the Erasmus Commission will go ahead.

'We as the Independent Democrats will cooperate fully with the Commission and we hope that the DA will be equally transparent,' Mr Jenner says.

'Helen Zille and the DA constantly call for commissions of inquiry, yet when they are the subject of one, they want to block it. How can they talk about transparency and accountability and when it comes to action they remain silent?

'The DA would save the taxpayer a great deal of money if they came clean over Spygate. The one-man inquiry in the City, under the auspices of Advocate Jordaan, did surely not have the capacity or terms of reference to get to the bottom of the spy allegations,' says Jenner.

'Even so, the Independent Democrats cooperated fully with Advocate Jordaan.'

The Erasmus Commission was established with 'considerable capacity and far wider terms of reference' to investigate matters relating to the alleged illegal surveillance of elected City Councillors and others before and during the September 2007 floor-crossing period.

'Considering the mass of allegations uncovered in past months, the time for Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille to come clean over the DA's alleged abuse of power is long overdue,' Jenner says.

'And if she does not want to explain to the Erasmus Commission, then she should at least come clean to the public.'