Durban: The future of ANC president Jacob Zuma lies in the hands of Asset Forfeiture Unit head Willie Hofmeyr, who has emerged as a powerful, behind-the-scenes negotiator.

Hofmeyr, who is highly regarded by Zuma's legal team and his prosecutors, has emerged as a key deal-maker in discussions and deliberations over Zuma's secret representations to the State.

He has led the team that has considered special representations made to the National Prosecutions Authority by a special ANC committee established to save Zuma from his legal woes.

The seasoned State advocate, praised by sources in the Zuma camp as "bringing calmness and equanimity" to what had been fraught interactions between lawyers for Zuma and the State, will not be drawn on his role in the Zuma talks.

It has been established, however, that Hofmeyr has been deeply involved in overseeing the Zuma-NPA negotiations, and has become a primary point of contact between Zuma's lawyers and the State.

According to documents filed at the Constitutional Court as part of Zuma's bid to have his prosecution declared invalid, it was to Hofmeyr - not Zuma's prosecutors, Anton Steynberg or Billy Downer - that Zuma's attorney, Michael Hulley, sent his proposed timetable for the progress of Zuma's court battles.

It is also understood that Hofmeyr assisted Hulley in drafting Zuma's press statement after his recent crushing defeat in the Supreme Court of Appeal, which ruled that the aspirant president's prosecution was valid.

Hulley's original press release said that Zuma's legal team had "directed correspondence to the National Director of Public Prosecutions in terms of which a request has been made to make representations on the indictment which was served on Mr Zuma in December 2007, and we await their response".

After Hofmeyr's input, the statement concluded: "The NPA has indicated its willingness to consider such representations and the parties are discussing the timeframes within which this should be done."

Hofmeyr has not responded to messages seeking clarification of his involvement in the Zuma negotiations.

Sources in the NPA have emphasised, however, that any part he has played has been aimed at neutralising tensions between Zuma's lawyers and prosecutors.

"He is a unifier, a fair and honest negotiator who does not pursue any agendas," a source said.

"Anything he does will be because he believes that it is the best solution possible."

At the end of last year, Hofmeyr signed an agreement to return R5 million to Schabir Shaik, convicted fraudster and former adviser to Zuma.

The sum was half of the interest earned on assets seized from Shaik.

This, it was said, was to avert a costly court battle over the issue.

Hofmeyr is a founding member and one of four deputy directors in the office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions.

He has, in effect, been running the Scorpions for six months, making "all major decisions" relating to the soon-to-be disbanded unit.

He has also led discussions on the incorporation of the Scorpions into the SAPS.

He is tipped to be the head of the new Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations unit, which is to be formed once the Scorpions have been disbanded.

Before being appointed as head of the Asset Forfeiture Unit in 1999, Hofmeyr was an ANC member of Parliament, where he served on the justice committee.

He was appointed deputy national director of public prosecutions in 2001 by then-director Bulelani Ngcuka.