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South Africa: Zuma Trial Likely to Start Early Next Year
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Business Day (Johannesburg)
16 May 2008
Posted to the web 16 May 2008
Karima Brown
Johannesburg
AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma's corruption trial will not formally start on August 4, but his supporters plan to bring Pietermaritzburg to a halt in solidarity when he appears in the high court for a postponement.
Zuma and his co-accused, the French arms company Thint, will have to answer to corruption and racketeering charges, when the case eventually begins. The planned show of support will coincide with an application by Zuma's lawyers for the Pietermaritzburg High Court to throw out the case on the grounds that his right to a fair trial has been compromised.
Despite the August 4 meeting of the defence and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), legal experts say it is likely the trial will start early next year, on the eve of a general election after which Zuma is expected to replace President Thabo Mbeki as head of state.
The August 4 meeting seems to be a compromise reached after KwaZulu-Natal Judge President Vuka Tshabalala took issue with the NPA's apparent failure to canvass a trial date with all parties, an oversight that will cause further delay.
The legal teams of Zuma and his co-accused met the NPA and Tshabalala yesterday to finalise a court date.
After the meeting Tshabalala refused to speak to the media but issued a statement that read: "Following agreement between the parties, the judge president has confirmed that he will appoint a trial judge to hear a preliminary application in Pietermaritzburg on August 4 and the trial will be adjourned to a date to be determined by the trial judge."
The huge public show of support planned for Zuma is seen by the ANC and its allies as an informal launch of his presidential campaign. The Congress of South African Trade Unions in KwaZulu-Natal has said "things will get messy" when Zuma makes his court appearance. South African Communist Party (SACP) boss Blade Nzimande said that in line with the tripartite alliance resolution, the SACP fully supports Zuma. Last weekend the alliance said it would not only "accompany Zuma to court, but also to the Union Buildings", when he becomes president.
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The NPA's Billy Downer has said the s tate was ready to proceed against Zuma. This was despite an outstanding Constitutional Court application on the admissibility of evidence seized by the NPA in a raid on Zuma's lawyers' offices, the outcome of which could affect the state's evidence and the final indictment against him.
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