The nature of Communications Minister Dina Pule's relationship with businessman Phosane Mngqibisa will be investigated by a nine-member panel.

Parliament's joint committee on ethics and members' interests appointed the panel, to be chaired by ANC veteran Ben Turok. It would hold hearings towards the end of next month. Matters to be investigated would include whether she declared her relationship with Mngqibisa to Parliament, and whether she made any financial gains through the alleged romance.

Mngqibisa earned millions from co-ordinating the 2012 ICT Indaba, organised by Pule's department.

The panel was appointed after the Democratic Alliance laid a complaint and asked the committee to probe Pule's alleged romantic links to Mngqibisa.

The committee's co-chairman Lemias Mashile said on Wednesday that while the initial complaint came from the DA, they could start investigations based on media reports.

"The complaint initially was that a minister's boyfriend was employed to facilitate last year's ICT Indaba.

"The first thing that the committee will probe is whether there is a [romantic] relationship between the minister and the man. We will also be checking whether the minister did declare that relationship," he said.