President Jacob Zuma is not planning to apologise for violating the executive members' ethics code through failure to declare his financial interests, assets and liabilities in time.

He has also been let off the hook by Cabinet, which has opted not to impose any sanction for his failure to meet the deadline.

Zuma was supposed to have declared his interests last year, within 60 days of assuming office, but submitted the required paperwork only in March this year.

Briefing the media on Thursday, following Cabinet's fortnightly meeting the day before, government spokesperson Themba Maseko told journalists in Cape Town that he was not aware of a pending apology.

"Whether the President will apologise for missing the deadline, at this stage I'm not aware of any plan or intention to apologise.

"However, in his response to the Public Protector, the President did express regret for missing the deadline, and raised all the legal issues which may have contributed to that delay," he said in response to a question.

Maseko said that the Presidency and Justice Minister Jeff Radebe would review anomalies in the executive code of ethics, which Zuma blamed for his delay in declaring.

"The Presidency and the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development will review the code to address the gaps that have been identified in the Public Protector's report."

Public Protector Thulisile Madonsela found last month that Zuma had breached the code by missing the deadline to declare his interests by eight months.

Zuma's office said that confusion about whom the President should approach for permission to accept gifts worth more than R1 000 had contributed to his inability to meet the deadline. Other members of the Cabinet need the President's permission.

Madonsela pointed out this and other shortcomings in the act and proposed that they be addressed. But she also urged Cabinet to introduce penalties for members of the executive who fall into breach of the ethics code.

Democratic Alliance Parliamentary leader Athol Trollip last month called for Zuma to apologise, saying that if there was ever a case where an example needed to be made, this was it.

"Any violation of the law is no trifling matter and it goes without saying that the Executive Members Ethics Act goes to the heart of good governance, indeed, to what constitutes ethical behaviour and what does not.

"If ever there was a case to be made that an example needs to be made and a precedent set, it is the president's transgression of that act," he said at the time.