The African National Congress (ANC) national working committee meets today amid a scramble behind the scenes to respond to the uncertainty over Deputy President Jacob Zuma’s future.

The high-powered committee, which manages the day-to-day affairs of the ANC, is not an executive body and as such cannot decide Zuma’s fate.

However, it is meeting amid growing calls from both within and outside the ANC for Zuma to step down.

Zuma has been under pressure to quit following last week’s conviction of his financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, on fraud and corruption charges.

It will also be the first time President Thabo Mbeki and Zuma will be at the same meeting since Shaik’s conviction, and its timing will pile pressure on ANC top brass to decide Zuma’s fate.

This is especially so in light of Judge Hillary Squires’ finding that Zuma and Shaik had a “generally corrupt relationship”, the polarising effect of the Shaik trial on the ANC and the party’s own commitment, reaffirmed last week, to root out corruption.

The meeting also comes as various ANC factions position themselves in response to Squires’ judgment. Already, the first salvos have been fired in a desperate fightback campaign by Zuma’s supporters.

The ANC Youth League, the deputy president’s staunchest supporters inside the party, was the first off the mark yesterday, launching a vicious attack on last week’s judgment, Squires and the National Prosecuting Authority.

League president Fikile Mbalula called Squires’ verdict a “miscarriage of justice”, and said the judge lacked “fairness, balance and justice”.

Mbalula also attacked former chief national prosecutor Bulelani Ngcuka, saying he was “malicious” when he said two years ago that Zuma had a prima facie case of corruption to answer.

Mbalula said Ngcuka, accused by Zuma supporters of having been an apartheid spy, was given an opportunity to clear his name when Mbeki appointed a commission to probe the spy claims. The same fairness should now be extended to Zuma.

Mbalula, a ex-officio member of the working committee, is likely to bring his concerns to today’s meeting.

ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama said yesterday Zuma’s future would not form part of the agenda of the meeting.

The meeting also comes ahead of a flurry of activity among Zuma’s backers in the ANC-led alliance, with a series of high-powered meetings set to discuss the Zuma affair.

Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi will preside over a meeting of leaders of Cosatu’s 21 affiliates this week.

The meeting was scheduled before the Zuma furore, but that was now likely to dominate discussion, he said.

“You might have a problem about what was said (by Squires), but the dilemma is how do you condemn someone who has never been in court?” Vavi asked.

South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Blade Nzimande said yesterday: “The problem is you can’t take political decisions without taking into account (Zuma’s) rights.”

Cosatu and SACP sources said the organisations were mainly behind Zuma. This was largely because they felt Zuma’s right to a fair trial had been violated by the National Prosecuting Authority.

The alliance leaders are refusing to follow the youth league’s call for the prosecuting authority to charge Zuma — or shut up.

This is because the league’s call would be a strategic blunder as it would push Zuma into a corner and compound the damage a corruption trial would do to Zuma and his office.

The deputy president could not remain in office while facing criminal charges. If Zuma were to step down for the duration of a trial, his chances of succeeding Mbeki would be severely dented, whatever the outcome of the case.

The support offered to Zuma by the youth league and alliance partners is in stark contrast to the silence from the ANC, which has issued only two statements on the verdict, none of which mentioned Zuma by name or acknowledged the problems facing the party.

Sources said the silence was indicative of divisions over what to do about Zuma.

With acknowledgements to Karima Brown, Vukani Mde and the Business Day.