Under siege from opposition parties baying for his blood, Deputy President Jacob Zuma stood firm on Tuesday and protested his innocence while suggesting that his financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was completely responsible for his dire financial state.

Opposition leaders Tony Leon, Patricia de Lille and Bantu Holomisa were quick to call for Zuma's head.

Zuma, acting president in Thabo Mbeki's absence at the Southern African Development Community conference in Dar es Salaam, insisted that he was "not guilty of any wrongdoing or corruption, either relating to the arms deal or his financial affairs".

While the state has laid bare the woeful state of Zuma's personal finances in its charge sheet against Shaik, the deputy president moved to shift the blame to Shaik.

"He has stated many times before that Mr Shaik is his financial adviser and administers all his financial matters, including bank accounts," Zuma's office said in a statement.

"The matter is in the hands of the court and the legal process should be allowed to run its course, without prejudging the issue in the media."

But Democratic Alliance leader Leon called on Zuma to "either resign or step down", arguing that it would be untenable for the deputy president to remain in office with a cloud of suspicion hanging over him while the Shaik trial continued indefinitely.

Leon said Zuma could not continue his duties as normal because he was the leader of government business in parliament and the head of government's moral regeneration campaign, both of which required someone beyond reproach to take the lead.

"The institution of democracy is under threat," said Leon.

In its charge sheet against Shaik and his company, Nkobi Holdings, submitted to the Durban magistrate's court, the state alleges that Zuma solicited a R500 000 a year bribe from French arms company Thompson CSF/Thales, which successfully bid for a contract in the arms deal.

Funds totalling R1,2-million were allegedly paid to Zuma through Shaik's group of companies, while Shaik allegedly took elaborate steps to hide the origin of the payments, most of which could be traced back to arms deal beneficiaries.

Independent Democrats leader Patricia De Lille, who led the initial charge on corruption in the arms deal in September, 1999, said her party believed that "everybody is equal before the law, including Jacob Zuma". But as the deputy president was chairman of the moral regeneration campaign, "he should honour his moral obligation and step down from his position until judgment has been entered in this regard".

United Democratic Front leader Holomisa said that Zuma "must go" immediately. "He must resign or be fired" or esle await the outcome of the Scorpions' investigations "outside government office", Holomisa said.

The more Zuma attacked the Scorpions and Justice Minister Penuell Maduna, the guiltier he looked. "He used the office of the deputy president from the outset of the arms deal investigation to intimidate Scopa and he questioned the motives for the investigation. He cannot, under these circumstances, be allowed to continue to use the office as a platform from which to defend himself and attack his accusers," Holomisa said.

Since the charge sheet against Shaik had become public knowledge, "nobody can doubt the depth or scope of the alleged criminal activities that reflect directly on the deputy president".

"It is clear from these charges that it was only the status of his office that has thus far saved Mr Zuma the embarrassment of being arrested and charged," Holomisa added.

Gavin Woods, of the Inkatha Freedom Party, said it was becoming "increasingly obvious" that the allegations against both Zuma and Shaik "are well-founded".

"The bigger questions about corruption in the arms deal still have to be answered.

"Those of us in the know are aware that progress is being made in a number of other areas in the failed investigation into the arms deal," said Woods.

He said there was "already sufficient evidence to suggest that Zuma's position as deputy president should be reconsidered with immediate effect".

With acknowledgements to Jeremy Michaels, Andre Koopman and The Mercury.