The ANC is angry that reports about the possible withdrawal of charges against its president Jacob Zuma could scupper the ruling party's concerted efforts *1 rescue him from his legal woes.

Lindiwe Sisulu, the housing minister and head of a special high-level committee established to save Zuma, said leaks to newspapers about Zuma's fate undermined efforts by the party to deal with his corruption charges in a defendable and transparent manner, as well as dispel fears that they would be settled behind closed doors.

Sisulu said the ANC was also angry with Mo Shaik, the brother of convicted fraudster Schabir, for what he said to students at the University of Pretoria. Shaik was also attacked by the ANC Youth League for "opportunistic statements" he made to the students on Monday.

But Shaik earlier defended himself, saying when he told students that newspapers would the next day carry reports that charges against Zuma were to be dropped he did so on the basis of a flurry of SMSs he'd received.

The league said the newspaper reports and Shaik's statements "send very confusing messages" that could "cast unnecessary doubts on fair legal proceedings *2 and (the process) of representations by the ANC president".

The ANC has been admitted as a friend of the court in Zuma's Constitutional Court application to have his prosecution set aside. Lawyers representing the party are set to present argument in May as to why prosecuting Zuma would not be in the public interest.

Sisulu said last night the party had deliberately chosen this route because it believed it was the only way to arrive at a solution that would be above criticism or suspicion - allowing for South Africans to "buy in" to the outcome and at the same time protecting the country's international reputation.

"There is no way that anyone could influence that process," Sisulu said.

Sisulu heads a special committee of about 10 members of the party's national working committee entrusted with providing support for Zuma.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spent most of yesterday trying to douse the political firestorm that followed reports that it was considering dropping its prosecution of Zuma, with spokesman Tlali Tlali insisting no such decision had yet been taken.

Political parties mounted a furious attack saying that it would make a mockery of the constitution, steer the country down the path towards a "banana republic" and put Zuma above the law. Sisulu said "questions would definitely be asked" about the leaks when the party's national executive committee starts a two-day meeting today.

Asked where they had come from Sisulu said she had "no idea".

Meanwhile, the NPA won't say whether it will publicly explain the reasons behind the mooted discontinuation of Zuma's corruption trial.

Stressing that it was still "urgently" considering whether to drop the fraud, corruption and racketeering charges, Tlali said the State "would still have to consider" whether the reasons behind the decision should be made public. It is understood not to be under any legal obligation to publicly disclose the reasons should it discontinue its prosecution.

Tlali yesterday also declined to confirm that Zuma's legal team had recently handed over a new set of representations, which allegedly contained claims of serious misconduct against high-ranking justice officials *3, to the NPA.

"We have also maintained that we would not comment on the content of the representations made to us by Mr Zuma and his legal team," he said.

He said they had recently received additional information by Zuma's lawyers which necessitates investigation *4.

Zuma's Mauritian legal team yesterday appeared in the Supreme Court in Port Louis to appeal against a ruling stopping Zuma from intervening in the NPA's bid to obtain evidence against him. Judgment was reserved.

With acknowledgements to Karyn Maughan and Cape Times.