The reality of life as a suspect in a criminal trial finally dawned on former deputy president Jacob Zuma yesterday as the Scorpions raided his houses and those of his key backers.

In a day filled with drama, Scorpions officials faced off against armed Zuma bodyguards, trying to stop the raid on his new Forest Town, Johannesburg, home. But the Scorpions held their ground and walked off with computer hard drives and numerous files.

The raids rounded off a week in which the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) — a key Zuma ally — demanded that President Thabo Mbeki drop the charges against Zuma and reinstate him as SA’s deputy president.

Zuma goes on trial in October for corruption.

The raids also brought home the ugly political spectacle that is likely to accompany the trial, with Cosatu officials trading insults with their African National Congress (ANC) allies in public. Cosatu president Willie Madisha yesterday accused government spokesman and senior ANC official Joel Netshitenzhe of being “out of his mind” for admonishing Cosatu for its pro-Zuma stance.

Zuma’s lawyer, Michael Hulley, said yesterday’s raids amounted to a “fishing expedition” that smacked of the “charge first, investigate later” tactic. He said they were studying the warrant used for yesterday’s search and seizure operation. The warrant was issued last Friday.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said there was nothing sinister about the raids.

The simultaneous raids were countrywide and targeted Zuma’s new Johannesburg home, his flat in Killarney, north of Johannesburg, and his homestead in Nkandla in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Among those also raided were KwaZulu-Natal fnance MEC Zweli Mkhize, Zuma’s financial adviser Schabir Shaik, Mpumalanga businesswoman Nora Fakude, KwaZulu-Natal businessman Vivian Reddy and hotelier Jurgen Kogl.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the raids proved the NPA and the judicial system were being used to target Zuma.

“The NPA is pursuing a political agenda and not acting independently,” he said.

Blade Nzimande, secretary-general of the South African Communist Party, said the raids on the offices of Zuma’s lawyers infringed his right to attorney-client privilege: “Zuma is already an accused and must enjoy confidential exchanges with his lawyers. (The raids) unfortunately feed into a widespread perception that he won’t get a fair trial, that his is a political trial.”

However, law professor Robin Palmer said the NPA was well within its rights to raid the offices of Zuma’s lawyers: “Section 29 of the NPA Act allows for lawyers’ offices to be raided.

“Where documents are proven to be privileged, such documents can be sealed and kept safe by the master of the court,” he said.

Palmer said Zuma’s court case was postponed for three months in July to allow for further investigation. Yesterday’s search and seizure operation was part of that investigation.

With the cabinet having said on Wednesday that Mbeki would not interfere with the judiciary by ordering the NPA to drop charges against Zuma, Cosatu and other Zuma allies have backed themselves into a corner, raising the political stakes and creating further division within the ANC-led alliance.

With acknowledgements to Karima Brown, Ernest Mabuza, Wendy Hall, Vukani Mde and the Business Day.