In less than 10 days since his inauguration President Thabo Mbeki has been splattered with mud thrown up by one of the men he selected to serve as a provincial premier rather than by his political opponents.
The culprit is Mr Ndaweni Mahlangu of Mpumalanga, whose original appointment by Mr Mbeki as the African National Congress candidate for the premiership of that province in preference to the incumbent, Mr Mathews Phosa, provoked considerable comment at the time.
Mr Mahlangu's statement justifying lying by politicians has reverberated around South Africa and led to demands by opposition politicians that Mr Mbeki dismiss him or, at the least, publicly repudiate him in his state of the nation address to parliament today. Reports containing verbatim quotes from Mr Mahlangu's statement, uttered in defence of his reappointment of provincial cabinet ministers suspected of dishonesty, have not been challenged either by him or by an ANC spokesman, Mr Smuts Ngonyama. They insist, however, that he was "quoted out of context".
His exact words, as recorded electronically, are: "Many politicians publicly deny they did certain things but admit later to them. It is accepted and not unusual anywhere in the world. It wasn't the end of Bill Clinton's life. I personally don't find it a very bad thing."
Opposition politicians, unimpressed with Mr Mahlangu's qualified apology, have condemned him for condoning mendacity in politicians generally, and one of his ANC ministers specifically. They have simultaneously demanded that Mr Mbeki declare himself on the issue.
The National Forum of Religious Leaders has pointedly referred to the code of conduct signed by political leaders at a morals summit last year. The code commits them to behaviour which is "honest and trustworthy" and conducive to nurturing a "culture of truth and reliability".
In its statement on the affair the ANC reaffirms its "long-held position" that its leaders are bound to "uphold the highest standards of morality". But, while describing Mr Mahlangu's remarks as "inappropriate, unfortunate and unacceptable", it insists they were taken out of context.
However, if Mr Mbeki fails to address the issue in his speech his silence may be interpreted as condoning the situation.