The Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) has failed to investigate fraud charges against former African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson Carl Niehaus and former Gauteng Premier Paul Mashatile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Tuesday.

"Little progress has been made in the case I laid six months ago against Mr Carl Niehaus and others allegedly implicated because they did not take action against his admitted fraud when he was CEO of the Gauteng Economic Development Agency (Geda)," said DA corruption spokesperson Jack Bloom.

He said ICD commissioner Richard Mdluli should be investigated for contravention of the South African Police Service disciplinary regulations as Mdluli had misled Bloom into believing investigations in the matter were "almost finalised", when in fact key people in the matter had not been interviewed.

"Key people, including Mashatile, former Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa and former education MEC Angie Motshekga have still not been interviewed," said Bloom.

Niehaus had also not been interviewed, despite Mdluli's assurance to the contrary.

"It appears to me that this case was not taken seriously by Mdluli, but hopefully better progress will now be made in this important matter.

"I would like to think that delays were not influenced by the fact that it involves senior political figures," said Bloom in a letter to ICD head Siphokazi Moleshe on Tuesday.

The DA laid the fraud charges in February after Niehaus admitted to forging signatures of senior Gauteng officials, including Mashatile, to secure a loan from a businessman who had wanted favourable conditions related to Johannesburg property deals.

Mashatile was the provincial finance MEC at the time of the alleged fraudulent activities.

Shilowa, Motshekga and Mashatile were accused of failing to report the attempted fraud by Niehaus.

The trio was charged with obstructing justice and with failing to report corruption in terms of Section 34 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act which makes it an offence not to report a corrupt act to the police.

ICD spokesperson Grace Langa was not immediately available for comment.