Argument in the application brought by the National Prosecuting Authority to appeal Judge Chris Nicholson's finding that ANC President Jacob Zuma was entitled to representation before he was charged will be heard in the Durban High Court on October 22.

NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali made the announcement that oral argument would be heard in the court shortly after charges against Zuma's co-accused - the South African subsidiaries of French arms manufacturing giant Thales International - were on Monday provisionally withdrawn by the NPA.

The two Thint companies - Thint Holding (Southern Africa) and Thint - each faced one count of racketeering, two of corruption and one of money-laundering in the case in which it was accused of paying Zuma a bribe in return for protection from probes into alleged irregularities in a multi-million rand arms deal.

The withdrawal of the charges follows the setting aside of charges against Zuma by Pietermaritzburg High Court judge Chris Nicholson last month because Zuma had not been given a chance to make representations to the NPA when it decided to press charges against him for a second time.

In its papers filed last week, the NPA listed 16 grounds for appealing Nicholson's September 12 judgement, including the fact that it did not believe that Nicholson had grounds to rule on the establishment of an arms deal inquiry or to comment on then president Thabo Mbeki's decision to dismiss Jacob Zuma as deputy president of the country.

It also opposes Zuma's claim that he was entitled to representation before being charged.

Zuma as charged in 2005, but that case was struck from the roll in 2006.

He was recharged in December 2007 shortly after being elected president of the ANC. - Sapa

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With acknowledgements to Sapa and Cape Argus.