South Africa has since joined Caribbean countries in their call for an investigation into Aristide's departure, reportedly under escort, in a US aircraft from Haiti.
Mbeki declined the request, according to a report in This Day quoting Pallo Jordan, a senior ruling party official, who chairs parliament's foreign affairs portfolio committee.
For most of the week, South Africa was billed as Aristide's ultimate destination in international media reports.
Pretoria denies receiving any formal request to grant him asylum.
Government officials, however, stressed that South Africa would not turn the democratically elected Haitian leader away.
"While the plane was on the tarmac, Colin Powell made a number of phone calls, one to President Mbeki, requesting asylum for Aristide," Jordan wrote in a column published in This Day newspaper.
Aristide subsequently flew to the Central African Republic, where he remains and is said to be under guard while in transit.
"What has unfolded in Haiti is a coup d'etat," said Jordan.
Haiti's armed, rebel soldiers from whom opposition parties have disassociated themselves, did not deserve the legitimacy accorded them by the US and France, he said.
"It is clear Washington chose to help the rebels get rid of Aristide, first by inaction, then by flying him out of the country, he wrote. – Sapa-DPA.
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