President Jacob Zuma on Sunday promised to let his Cabinet study a report by Public Protector Thulisile Madonsela, which found that he violated the executive code of ethics by failing to declare his interests in time.

"The report will be presented to Cabinet for a discussion after which the President will submit it to Parliament," the Presidency said.

Madonsela's report, which was handed to the Presidency and the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday, found that "the President's failure to comply with the time requirements of the Executive Ethics Code and his conduct constitute a breach of section 5.2 of the code".

She recommended that her report be submitted first to Cabinet for consideration and "decision on any action to be taken", and then to Parliament.

Madonsela said that Zuma was not the only culprit in Cabinet as there was a "systematic pattern of non-compliance" by a significant number of members in declaring their interests correctly and on time.

She also noted that the President "had indicated that he regrets the delay" in declaring his own interests.

By law, Zuma had to do so within 60 days of taking office, but he only did so in March after the press pointed out his oversight, missing the deadline by eight months.

The declaration publicly listed diplomatic gifts such as clothes and bedding from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. His assets and liabilities were declared in the confidential section of the register of members' interests.

The DA asked the public protector to investigate the delay.

DA Parliamentary leader Athol Trollip on Sunday said that the report underlined a lack of accountability in politics.

"This report is critical because it goes to the heart of the issue of accountability, currently so contested in South African politics."

He said that Madonsela's findings therefore posed a major challenge for the African National Congress (ANC), as a Parliament dominated by the ruling party now had to decide how to handle the fact that the President had broken the law.

It is problematic that the act did not provide proper recourse for cases where the President himself had failed to live up to it, adding that the DA would table an amendment, Trollip added.

"(Zuma) is now, in terms of the act, required to apply his mind to a report about his own misconduct and report to Parliament what corrective steps he himself should follow.

"It is really a farcical situation."

Madonsela's report also mentioned shortcomings in the act and proposed that they be addressed.

These include resolving the anomaly of submitting a report on the conduct of the President to the Presidency and introducing penalties for members of the Cabinet who fall into breach of the ethics code.

She called on Parliament to impose with effect from June this year, the same penalties to those who breach the Executive Members' Ethics Act that already apply to Members of Parliament who violate the Parliamentary code of conduct.

These range from a reprimand to a fine of a maximum of a month's salary and a 15-day suspension from the legislature.

The public protector urged Parliament to report back to her by July 1 on its decision regarding future punishment for those who contravene the ethics code.

The Presidency noted the recommendations and said it welcomed the "forward-looking and constructive nature" of the report.

Like his lawyer Michael Hully had done, he blamed his failure t declare his interests on time on the anomalies in the act.

These include confusion about whom the President should approach for permission to accept gifts worth more than R1 000.

"The anomalies caused the President's delay in submitting the declaration," the Presidency said.

Madonsela found that "there is merit in the President's concern regarding the anomalies" in the act. Zuma's office issued a statement saying that this finding showed that she "accepts the reasons for the late submission".