Cheers and shouts erupted from a 4000-strong crowd as Jacob Zuma walked onto the stage in Pietermaritzburg's Freedom Square on Thursday after emerging from the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

A short while earlier, judge Herbert Msimang adjourned the state's application for a postponement in his corruption trial.

"There is no president like you!" some of Zuma supporters shouted at him.

"This time we will hear from the real judge, not those people we meet on the streets who make decisions," Zuma said, after waiting some time for the excited cheering and applause to subside.

Msimang said he would deliver his judgement on the state's application on September 20.

The former deputy president told the crowds, who had spent the morning keeping up a routine of songs and marching, that the judge would sit and analyse the issue of whether to postpone his and his co-accused Thint's trial.

He said he would pick and choose his words as his case was still before court.

He thanked his supporters and said that he hoped they would continue making him feel at home. Zuma hoped that Msimang would look into the facts they presented inside the court.

He thanked African National Congress leaders who came to support him but said there would always be (political) rivals and "people who checked who was attending his trial". He did not elaborate who those rivals were or were the people checking the trial attendance.

He said the crowd should conduct themselves in a manner that showed that they were fighting against what he believed was a case of human rights abuse.

He paused and laughed during his speech as some of his supporters shouted: "Akekho umongameli onjengawe (There is no president like you)".

He ended his speech with an extended version on his trademark song "Leth' umshini wami". On this version, Zuma adds "Mus'ukungi bambembezela (Don't keep me waiting)".

After addressing the crowd Zuma stepped off the stage and went to the nearby VIP tent, and joined other leaders, including ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe and SA Communist Party secretary general Blade Nzimande.

They stayed to listen to two songs by the band Tsunami.

"Muyekeleni uMsholozi abe ngumengameli (Let Msholozi be President)" sang the band in one of their songs.

Earlier Nzimande briefed the crowd on what had happened inside the court and reaffirmed his support for Zuma.

There was an uproar when Nzimande announced that the trial was adjourned until September 20.

"Sizobe sikhona (We will be there)" shouted the crowd.

He urged the people to fill the Freedom Square to capacity on September 20 and during the vigil to be held the night before. Some of Zuma supporters said they would patiently wait for the judgement.

"We won't wait for long, two weeks is not a long time," said Slindlie Nxumalo, who could not hide her excitement when she saw Zuma, flanked with bodyguards, walking past her.

"We don't want the trial postponed, the state should have not charged ubaba uMsholozi if they had no evidence," said Bongi Ngcobo from Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

In the morning, Zuma supporters kept up their vigil outside the court, singing songs and earnestly discussing the case. 

With acknowledgements to Sapa and Independent On Line.