Well-placed sources in the African National Congress have charged that the series of allegations about Deputy President Jacob Zuma's role in the arms deal appeared to be designed to discredit him before the ANC's national conference in Stellenbosch next week.

Zuma said he suspected "sinister motives", other than political ones, behind allegations in court papers that he tried to get R500 000 a year from French arms giant Thomson-CSF in return for protection from the arms deal probe.

"These reports and allegations seem to have been designed to discredit the deputy president in case he emerges as a contender for the presidency," said a source.

Zuma has been tipped to retain his position as deputy president of the ANC and there have been no challenges to Thabo Mbeki's leadership of the organisation so far.

ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said all ANC regions had submitted their lists of proposed candidates for party positions, but was unable to give details.

In Pretoria on Monday, Zuma was non-committal on speculation in some quarters that there could be a political hand behind the timing of allegations against him. "I don't know - I don't think so. Whenever the (ANC) conference comes, these matters tend to arrive for a variety of reasons.

"But I think there might be some sinister motives besides the political ones," he said, without elaborating.

Zuma dismissed speculation that the allegations could cause him problems at the ANC conference. "No, not at all. Why should they? The allegations are unfounded and completely baseless."

He vigorously defended his friendship with Schabir Shaik, his friend and financial adviser, who has been targeted by the Scorpions and summoned to appear in court in Pretoria on Wednesday to answer questions on arms deal allegations involving Zuma and others.

In another development, the DA charged that the ANC had "exposed its blatant hypocrisy in its reaction to the allegations of bribery, corruption and inappropriate conduct by Deputy President Jacob Zuma".

DA spokesperson Raenette Taljaard contrasted the ANC's response to the allegations against Zuma with its statements on allegations against former Western Cape DA leader Gerald Morkel.

"If the ANC was at all consistent, it would take action against Mr Zuma for his inappropriate relationship with Mr Shaik," she said.

With acknowledgements to Cape Argus and www.iol.co.za