After being slapped with a second claim for damages from Jacob Zuma, cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro says he has too much faith in South Africa's democratic institutions to contemplate, "even as a remote possibility", that the ANC president could win the lawsuits.

Zuma is now suing Shapiro, who signs his cartoons as Zapiro, the Sunday Times and its holding company, Avusa, for R7 million for a cartoon published in September.

The drawing depicted Zuma preparing to rape Lady Justice as his political allies held her down.

Lawyers for Zuma said the cartoon "has injured our client in his dignity and reputation". They are claiming R5m for damage to Zuma's reputation and R2m for damage to his dignity.

After his trial and acquittal on a rape charge in 2006, his lawyers brought a R15m lawsuit against Zapiro over three drawings relating to the trial.

Asked if he thought the R7m was a reasonable amount, Shapiro referred to a 2006 cartoon he had drawn in response to Zuma's initial lawsuit.

It showed an outraged Zuma telling Shapiro, "I'm suing for damage to my reputation!!" and the cartoonist responding: "Would that be your reputation as a disgraced chauvinistic demagogue who can't control his sexual urges and who thinks a shower prevents Aids?"

"I could say the same thing now," Shapiro said yesterday.

Critics should not be intimidated by such action. "Just because all the warning lights are flashing, it does not mean we must all shut up. We must make sure wherever possible to fight this creeping Stalinism and deal with things as they come."

He had not expected Zuma to sue again as the initial case seemed "to be going nowhere".

"To me it seems like a big intimidation tactic."

Of the lawsuits, Shapiro said: "It's about saying to people who won't be silenced that the ANC is prepared to subvert some of the very things they fought for and which are now in the Constitution. They are sending a very important and very wrong signal."

craig.mckune@inl.co.za

With acknowledgements to Craig McKune, Sapa and Cape Times.