A senior politician in South Africa wants Tendai "The Beast" Mtawarira, the Sharks prop whose scrummaging sent South Africa on their way to winning last summer's series against the Lions, thrown out of the country and deported to Zimbabwe, where he was born and brought up.

Butana Komphela, chairman of the South African national assembly sports committee, said he intended to have the South African Rugby Union (Saru) charged for illegally playing Mtawarira on the grounds that foreigners should not be picked for national sides.

The 24-year old Mtawarira, who won the first of his 15 caps in 2008, remains a Zimbabwe national. He qualified for South Africa under International Rugby Board regulations after living in the country continuously for three years, but Komphela maintains this is irrelevant.

"The government is going to punish rugby," said Komphela. "We are going to charge SA Rugby for fielding a foreign national without proper requirements. The portfolio committee has inquired as to why the Beast is still playing for South Africa if he is a foreign national. It is a contravention of the laws. The government will deport him to Zimbabwe. He is here on a work permit and he is flouting it. We have no problem with him playing for the Sharks, but this doesn't mean he has acquired citizenship."

Oregan Hoskins, the Saru president, denied the law had been broken, saying that the sports minister, Makhenkesi Stofile, had sanctioned Mtawarira's inclusion in the Springbok squad last year. "I remain positive about this," he said. "I do not believe his inclusion in the national squad is a lost cause and we are preparing a presentation to the government.

"We are going to try and sway the government to look at this as a special case, which is not unprecedented in other countries. The Beast has shown his bona fide colours having been here since just out of school and has given his life to rugby. I am going to make sure I cover every nook and cranny, and maybe even go with him to Zimbabwe to make sure we have covered all the bases so we can make the application thoroughly."

Mtawarira made his name during last June's first Test against the Lions in Durban when he made life uncomfortable for his experienced opponent, Phil Vickery. The former England captain, who is currently recovering from neck surgery, has emerged as a target for the new Super 15 team based in Melbourne, the Rebels, who will start playing next year.

The former Australia coach, Rod Macqueen, will today be unveiled as the franchise's head coach and the Rebels are allowed to sign 10 players from overseas. Feelers have been put out to the 33-year old Vickery, who won the 2003 World Cup with England in Australia.

Vickery is under contract to Wasps for another season while the club's England outside-half, Danny Cipriani, whose deal runs out in May, said he hoped to sign a new contract with the Wycombe club in the coming weeks. "The talks with Wasps are positive," he went on. "I am leaving my lawyer and the club to talk while I focus on my rugby. I just want to be playing the best rugby I can be, wherever that may be. But Wasps have the right coaches and I hope it can be resolved by next month."

France are likely to be without three Biarrtiz players, the prop Fabien Barcella, the centre Damien Traille and the scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili, for the entire Six Nations after they all suffered knee injuries during the Top 14 defeat against Stade Français last Saturday.