Johannesburg: The Scorpions have embarked on a brutal attack to destroy the political career of Jacob Zuma, Cosatu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has claimed following searches yesterday for evidence that may be used in the corruption trial against the former deputy president.

Cosatu said the raids were a direct response to Cosatu's resolution on Wednesday to petition President Thabo Mbeki to reinstate Zuma as his deputy and withdraw the criminal charges against him.

"We are not bothered by the trial itself - we are more concerned how it has been handled by our judicial system," Vavi said.

Cosatu said Zuma was the people and workers' favourite figure and there was "someone" abusing the judicial system in a bid to have him locked up so he would be prevented from taking on the presidency in 2009.

Vavi said Cosatu's central committee believed the attack on Zuma was a "political assault orchestrated somewhere to destroy the political career of Jacob Zuma".

He said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the media were being used in the "mission to undo a political career of an individual seen as a leader by citizens and the working class".

Cosatu president Willy Madisha said the NPA wanted to ensure Zuma was in prison when the question of presidential succession was finalised.

Vavi said "leaks from the NPA and the ANC" had made it clear that the Zuma saga was a bid to end Zuma's career.

Cosatu said the prosecuting authority's role in the case "provides more evidence that the NPA and the judicial system are capable of being manipulated and influenced to take biased political decisions and actions".

It said Zuma had been charged because of evidence that Justice Hillary Squires had used to convict Shabir Shaik, without offering Zuma a chance to respond to allegations.

Zuma's only sin was that he was loved by the working class and the poor, it said.

Cosatu said it perceived the manner in which the Zuma case was being handled as "an assault on our hard-won democratic gains - it is a frontal attack on our revolution itself".

Madisha promised that despite this, the Cosatu-ANC-SACP tripartite alliance would remain firm.

He said there were strategies in place to prevent divisions.

He called on Zuma "not to submit to political blackmail and intimidation" and said the union was hoping to meet President Thabo Mbeki to discuss better ways of managing the matter.

The SACP has also called for an urgent high-level meeting of the tripartite alliance to discuss all the latest developments.

SACP secretary-general Blade Nzimande said "the aim of this meeting would be to work towards finding a common approach to handle all the sensitivities surrounding this matter and provide the much-needed leadership to the movement and all its components".

The SACP condemned the raids and sources within the party said the leadership had been "flabbergasted and disgusted" by them.

The party said it endorsed the positions adopted by the ANC's national general council at its meeting in Pretoria last month that, among other things, called for a fair and speedy trial for Zuma.

As a former deputy president, Zuma "must be treated with dignity, respect and demeanour", the SACP added.

"We must, however, outrightly condemn the manner in which the Scorpions raid into the Johannesburg home of Zuma was carried out."

With acknowledgements to Thokozani Mtshali, Poloko Tau, Sapa and the Cape Times.