Pistorius has complained the team's training kit had yet to arrive in Beijing, the "ugly" official attire selected for the team to wear at the opening ceremony on Saturday and that South African Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) officials travelled business class, leaving the disabled athletes cramped into economy seats for the long flight to China.

The country's MPs have now demanded an official enquiry.

It follows a disappointing Olympics when South Africa won only one medal, thanks to the long jumper Khotso Mokoena who took the silver.

It was the team's worst performance in the Games since being readmitted to the Olympic Movement in 1992 after being banned for 28 years because of apartheid.

Butana Komphela, the chairman of South Africa's Parliament on sport, hit out at Sascoc for being insensitive to the needs of athletes, and said instead of being defensive, it needed to address the team's concerns.

He described the team's official attire as "shameful" and resembling pyjamas.

Freedom Party MP Suzanne Vos said officials should be paid for this latest debacle after the team's poort showing at the Olympics.

She said it was "mind-boggling" that the athletes had been squeezed into economy while officials stretched out in business class.

She said: "Who are these officials?

"South Africa needs to know and we need to see the faces of these arrogant and insensitive men and women plastered over our newspapers and on our television screens.

"What do they have to say about their behaviour?"

It has been claimed that amputee Arnu Fourie has not been able to train since arriving in Beijing "because his stump is so swollen" from being squashed in economy class should be "a national outrage", Vos said.

Vos said her party had been trying to find out who designed and manufactured the uniform for the country's Olympic team - voted the fourth worst in the world - only to discover that the Paralympics team had the "ugliest outfit yet seen" for the opening ceremony of the Games, which begin on Saturday.

The team is said to not want to "embarrass" the country by appearing in outfits Pistorius described as looking like "cheap linen pyjamas".

Vos said: "The IFP will call for Parliament to debate the issue in its entirety as soon as possible.

"We also support the call for a 'summit' to examine the entire Olympic and Sascoc saga."

Democratic Alliance MP Donald Lee said his party also wanted Sascoc to appear before a Parliamentary committee.

Lee said the complaint relating to treatment of the Paralympics team was not an isolated case, but "part of a string of complaints by athletes regarding the bad treatment they have received from Sascoc".

He said: "It seems like Sascoc officials are more preoccupied with flying business class, staying at five-star hotels and enjoying the best food than they are with the interests of our athletes."

Sascoc issued a statement expressing concern that Pistorius had not raised his problems with management, rather than going to the media.

It said the only meeting it had with Pistorius was about the athlete wanting to wear a competing sponsor's apparel, which he was not allowed to do.

Sascoc denied that all athletes had signed a petition of complaint and claimed that other stars, such as swimmer Natalie du Toit and the wheelchair basketball team, had "confirmed the positive attitude within the camp".

Sascoc said the delay with the kit followed the athletics team expressing dissatisfaction with the original kit that was ready in mid-August, resulting in new kit having to be manufactured.

This was not ready when the team left for Beijing, but it would arrive before the start of the games this weekend, Sascoc said.

It added that the athletes would now be allowed to vote on whether they wanted to wear the official team uniforms, or instead wear attire designed for formal functions.

Komphela backed Pistorius, however.

He said: "It must not be said that Pistorius is a thorn in a flesh.

"He is raising genuine concerns and Sascoc must swallow their pride and address the problems."