Corruption was the end result of the ruling party investing billions on weapons, the leader of the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Bantu Holomisa, said at a rally at Thoyandou in Limpopo yesterday.

Holomisa said it was unclear who was in charge of the country. "Is it the party in government, or its head office outside government?" he asked.

"There have been attacks and manipulation of the Scorpions, the public broadcaster and the judiciary."

The main reason for this was access to state power and the opportunity to loot the nation's resources, he said.

Holomisa said comrades who "ate" from the table of the arms deal and Oilgate were fighting with their backs against the wall, even demanding that their cases be struck off the court rolls. "The judges of the Constitutional Court have been dubbed a bunch of counter-revolutionaries.

"This campaign is characterised by war-talk with the clear intention of blackmailing the courts, the government and the country, with the message: You dare to charge us, and we will cause havoc," he said.

According to the UDM, it was for this reason there were calls for a so-called "political solution" to save Zuma from his dilemma.

"The people who are arguing about a deal fail to acknowledge that this person claims to be innocent.

"Why a deal if he is innocent? *1 Why should we convert the whole country into a kangaroo court with ad hoc rules to suit one person, when we have established democratic institutions to deal with such matters?" he said. - Sapa

With acknowledgements to Sapa and Sunday Tribune.