The government appears to be prepared to ride out the storm surrounding Deputy President Jacob Zuma and will not let him go or take action against him until he has been found guilty of an offence.

In response to reports in the media yesterday relating to charges against Zuma's financial adviser and friend Schabir Shaik, and calls for Zuma to resign or be suspended, the government said that acting against the deputy president on the basis of allegations would be wrong.

"If government allowed a precedent to be set whereby allegations against senior leaders lead to their resignation, then we would allow spanners to be thrown anyhow, anytime in the government works," said head of government communications Joel Netshitenzhe. He said firing or allowing Zuma to resign would also be wrong "for reasons of trust".

"Even mere trust for an individual in the deputy president's position should guide us to take him at his word," he said.

The nucleus of allegations relating to Zuma, contained in Shaik's charge sheet, are that the deputy president had received or had had paid on his behalf R1.2 million from Shaik's Nkobi group of companies.

Shaik, on the other hand, is accused of corruption, fraud and tax evasion.

Netshitenzhe said the courts should decide whether payments made by Shaik or his companies on behalf of Zuma were indeed gifts. And if they were, parliament would then have to decide if these had been declared in the register of members' interests.

The ANC has also dismissed calls for Zuma's head and reiterated that no action would be taken.

Said ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama: "The lynch mentality that has gripped opposition politics is neither healthy nor desirable for our democracy. The ANC reiterates its position that until such time as a court of law or competent institution of justice passes a guilty verdict, the deputy president will not be subjected to any disciplinary process or be asked to relinquish his position."

The ANC conceded, however, that the scandal around Zuma was an embarrassment to the country.

The deputy president has been under intense pressure to step down or resign after the state charged Shaik earlier this week.

The ANC also launched a tirade against the SABC for suggesting that the party may have benefited from the arms deal.

"The ANC is dismayed by suggestions that it stands to benefit from the arms deal, and we insist that there could be nothing further from the truth. We take particular exception to malicious reports by SABC TV news and radio, which suggest that the ANC may have been party to illegal activities."

In its charge sheet against Zuma, the state alleges that the ANC has a 10% stake in Nkobi Investments.

While the party would investigate the allegations, it would "not comment any further on matters that are sub judice. It is our intention to take appropriate action to ensure that the name of the ANC is not dragged through the mud by mischievous and malicious characters", the ANC said.

In its case against Shaik, the prosecution also outlined the state of the deputy president's financial affairs, alleging that "Zuma was in financial difficulties" and that since 1995 he had received or had paid on his behalf at least R1 161 562,71 from Shaik and his Nkobi group of companies to which he was not entitled.

Painting a picture of Zuma's indebtedness to Shaik and his companies, the state charges that its "synopsis constitutes a general corrupt relationship between Zuma and (Shaik) ... whereby (Shaik and his companies) paid Zuma to further their private business interests at the cost of funding Zuma's excessive expenditure".

Zuma has insisted on his innocence and has given no indication of stepping down.

Meanwhile, the Freedom Front has called for a commission of three appeal judges to investigate the facts coming to light about the arms deal.

FF leader Pieter Mulder said the arms deal had been investigated by parliament, the auditor-general, the public protector and the Scorpions without any of them reaching satisfactory answers.

The suggestion that the ANC, as an organisation, had a stake - worth at least R4.5 million - in the arms deal could be resolved only by an independent commission, he said.

With acknowledgements to Jeremy Michaels, Charles Phahlane, Makhudu Sefara and the Cape Times.