ANC president Jacob Zuma is scheduled to appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on February 4, when a date for his corruption trial will be set.

This was confirmed by KwaZulu-Natal Judge President Vuka Tshabalala yesterday.

Zuma faces charges of corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering. These charges were automatically reinstated after the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in favour of an appeal by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) against Judge Chris Nicholson’s judgment, which had set aside the charges last year.

ANC spokesman Carl Niehaus said yesterday the party had “noted that the court has set the date”.

NDPP spokesman Tlali Tlali said yesterday there were “confidential” discussions under way with Zuma’s legal team which prevented him from talking publicly about the court date.

Ironically, as news of the ANC president’s trial filtered through yesterday, Zuma delivered a strong warning against corrupt leaders at the party’s national list conference in Kempton Park.

“We will come down hard on corrupt civil servants ... in fact in all spheres of government. We cannot allow the legacy of our organisation be let down by some of us,” he said.

Zuma also told delegates that “leading government is an important and heavy responsibility *1. I do not think we should tolerate comrades who cannot deliver services to the people. We must take action against them.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of local government councillors’ hopes of election to the provincial or national legislatures have been dashed after the ANC decided to exclude most of them from its list of candidates.

The decision was triggered by fears that some local authorities may collapse, forcing the party into a wave of by-elections after the general poll.

But the move has created tensions at the list conference, where the party is finalising its candidates’ list.

The ruling party fears that the election of councillors could also cause skills shortages at the municipal level and affect local government delivery programmes.

Several ANC officials have told the Sunday Times that the national list committee, chaired by party veteran Bertha Gxowa, met with provincial leaders on Friday where instructions were issued to remove some councillors’ names.

­ Additional reporting by Ndivhuho Mafela

With acknowledgements to Sunday Times.