ANC Leaders Show Support for their President

PIETERMARITZBURG: Prosecutors are trying to get ANC president Jacob Zuma to agree to go on trial on corruption and racketeering charges in April - a month before elections.

It has been confirmed that, behind the scenes of Zuma's Pietermaritzburg High Court application yesterday, the National Prosecuting Authority was feverishly attempting to pin down Zuma on a trial date.

Sources said Zuma and his corruption co-accused, French arms Company Thint, felt "steamrollered" by the state and refused to agree to its proposed date of April 1 next year (or as early as possible in the second court term of 2009).

But no agreement was reached.

The state, however, has not backed off and is threatening to raise the matter in open court this morning.

This would be contrary to the agreement made by all parties with the Judge President of KwaZulu-Natal, Vuka Tshabalala, that a trial date would be set only on December 8.

But, buoyed by the Constitutional Court's subtle criticism of Zuma's strategy of pre-trial challenges, and given that the state is "trial-ready", prosecutors have decided to tackle what they believe to be Zuma's "delaying tactics" head-on.

Part of an agreement for the April trial date would be that all "subsidiary or parallel matters" - which would include Zuma's mooted permanent stay application - would be brought before trial Judge Chris Nicholson and not any other courts.

Meanwhile, outside court the ANC's leadership intensified its attack on the NPA.

Cosatu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi, said: "We are not going to let our president go to any kangaroo court or be further humiliated.

"Everybody in this country needs to understand that."

Blade Nzimande, SACP general secretary, said the media, and especially its analysts, needed to "wake up" and to know that justice was not just about a day in court, but about the whole process.

Clearly seven years of investigation on Zuma had been completely unfair, he said.

Earlier, ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte lashed out at the prosecuting authority for "maliciously persecuting" Zuma, adding that the ANC believed that all charges should be dropped.

NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali described Duarte's comments as "unfortunate" and urged anyone with any evidence that the state had acted maliciously against Zuma to come forward and produce it.

The explosive exchanges outside court were in stark contrast to the muted and highly-technical debate inside, with Zuma's lawyers backing down from their oft-repeated conspiracy claims against the state.

In an interview yesterday, Zuma admitted he had nodded off a few times during the hearing. Addressing his supporters outside court, Zuma said he had listened to so much law yesterday that he was sure he was half a lawyer himself.

In the front row of the public gallery were ANC national executive committee members Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe, former SANDF chief Siphiwe Nyanda and Tony Yengeni.

Conspicuous by his absence was ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe.

With acknowledgements to Karyn Maughan, Jeremy Gordin, Tania Broughton and Cape Times.