The issue of recharging Jacob Zuma is entirely up to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the government said on Thursday.

Briefing the media after Wednesday's fortnightly Cabinet meeting at Tuynhuys, government communications (GCIS) head Themba Maseko also lambasted those criticising the judges involved in such cases.

He said Cabinet had full confidence in the NPA.

"Whether to charge or not to charge the former deputy president of the country is a matter that will be left entirely in the hands of the NPA.

'Cabinet does not discuss who needs to be tried or not' "It is (Cabinet's) view that the NPA is capable of considering all factors at their disposal and Cabinet will not interfere at all.

"Cabinet does not discuss who needs to be tried or not," Maseko said.

The Supreme Court of Appeal on Monday confirmed Shaik's convictions and sentences for corruption and fraud.

Cabinet had noted the judgment in the matter and reaffirmed its respect for all decisions of the judiciary and expressed its unqualified respect for the rule of law.

"We are confident that all South Africans will continue to embrace our Constitution and the independence of the judiciary.

"Our judges must perform their duties with the full knowledge that our Constitution, the supreme law of the land, guarantees their independence and their right to apply the law to the best of their abilities.

"In this regard, our judiciary must know that it enjoys the full confidence of Cabinet."

Equally, citizens should know the judiciary's principal task was to uphold the laws of the land and to ensure that everyone was treated equally before these laws.

"Any unjustified, racial and ill-informed attacks on the judiciary is both regrettable and unwelcome," he said.

By way of explanation, Maseko said quite a number of statements and comments had been made attacking individual members of the judiciary, including Shaik's trial judge, Durban High Court Judge Hilary Squires, by "a number of bodies".

This was totally unacceptable and to be condemned, he said.

"You can't have a situation where, if a judgment is taken against you, you then go and criticise individual judges, because they've taken a decision against you.

"Their job, we're clarifying, is to uphold the law, irrespective of their race, religion or culture. They are entitled to perform their duties as defined in the Constitution. So we find these attacks totally unacceptable," Maseko said.

With acknowledgement to Sapa and Independent On Line.