Deputy President Jacob Zuma, in his most crucial political fight, has gone on a massive charm offensive to reinforce his support base.

In his utterances since his friend and financial adviser Schabir Shaik was convicted of fraud and corruption, Zuma has been consistent in playing the part of a man victimised by opposition political parties and the media.

However, the powerful politician, who was found by Judge Hilary Squires to have been involved in a corrupt relationship with Shaik, has failed to answer three pertinent questions:

'The media have used this case for political reasons'

That he negotiated and accepted a bribe from arms manufacturer Thales;

That he lied to parliament by submitting a loan agreement found to be false by Squires; and

That he was in a corrupt relationship with Shaik.

Instead of answering these questions, Zuma has repeatedly said that he has not been charged with any crime and that he has not been in a court of law.

On Thursday, during an imbizo in East London, Zuma said the media had treated him in a "grossly unfair" way and had used the Shaik trial for political reasons. Zuma told business and political leaders at a breakfast in East London that he had been tried and convicted by the media.

"The media have used this case for political reasons," he said.

"Every time they talked about the case, they talked about the problem of politics."

Zuma said he had never been given a chance to answer the charges against him. "In this country, we have a constitution that every citizen has a right that they must be taken to court, be tried and be heard, and at the end a judgment be made. That chance was never given to me. The judgment was for someone else."

The deputy president's charm offensive seems to have worked. In the past five days, he has received "pastoral support, sustenance and prayers" from the South African Council of Churches. He has also received overwhelming support from the ANC caucus in parliament, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini - with whom he attended an Mbongeni Ngema play in Johannesburg this week - and from the Young Communist League.

In Johannesburg on Thursday, an ANC Youth League march to demand jobs for the youth turned into a Zuma support rally. The youths, wearing T-shirts which read "Zuma 100 percent" on the front and "Innocent until proven guilty" on the back, called for Zuma to be the next president.

In the Eastern Cape, where Zuma is spending two days on a government imbizo programme, support was also forthcoming for the man fighting to remain deputy president.

Zuma's helicopter was welcomed everywhere by crowds and a group of women singing "they are telling lies about you" greeted Zuma at Keiskammahoek near King William's Town.

In a matter of days, President Thabo Mbeki is expected to announce whether he will support Zuma and keep him on as his deputy or fire him.

Four days ago, Mbeki said he had received and was studying the Squires judgment and would pronounce on how it affected the government. It will be the most difficult political decision he has had to make in a leadership position since the advent of democracy in South Africa.

Mbeki arrived back from Chile on Thursday after a two-day official visit to the Latin American country, where he held discussions with Chilean President Ricardo Escobar.

Mbeki's spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said the president's first engagement on his return would be today, when he was due to attend a joint sitting of parliament to bid farewell to retired Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson.

With acknowledgement to The Mercury.