Aug 4, 2008, 5:36 GMT
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa - Hundreds of supporters of the leader of South Africa's ruling party, Jacob Zuma, braved cold and wet conditions to show their support for the 66-year-old presidential hopeful ahead of a court hearing to decide the validity of corruption charges against him.
The gathering Sunday night came ahead of Zuma's appeal Monday to the High Court in the southern city of Pietermaritzburg to set aside the prosecution of the African National Congress (ANC) leader on charges of corruption, fraud, racketeering and money laundering in a state arms deal.
He is to argue that the state did not allow him to make representations about the charges against him before indicting him.
'We know he is innocent,' said Sbuonelo Mbatha, 27, a self-employed man from Pietermaritzburg, who spent the night in a square opposite the courthouse in a show of support for Zuma.
'Zuma is going to be president, even if he's in orange clothes,' Mbatha added, referring to prison uniforms.
'Even if he is guilty, they [the government] are just using this [case against Zuma] to cover their tracks,' Nokuthula Mjilo, a 31-year-old office employee wrapped in a cloth bearing the image of Zuma's face, said while humming the tune to the Zulu politician's trademark anti-apartheid song, Umshini Wam, or Bring Me My Machine Gun.
The case is the latest in a string of court actions taken by Zuma to avoid a fresh trial involving South Africa's multibillion-dollar arms buildup in the late 1990s.
The first case against him was thrown out of the same Pietermaritzburg court in 2006 over delays by the prosecution in presenting evidence.
The National Prosecuting Authority brought the new charges against Zuma in December, a few days after he romped to victory over President Thabo Mbeki in an ANC leadership race.
Zuma's supporters in the ANC, the allied trade union movement and Communist Party claimed that the new case is a politically motivated attempt to prevent Zuma from becoming president after elections in 2009.
The ANC has named Zuma as the party's candidate to succeed Mbeki when his two terms as president expire at next year's general elections, which the party was expected to win.
The charges against Zuma relate mainly to his relationship with his crooked former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik.
Shaik is currently serving a 15-year sentence for corruption and fraud in relation to the arms deal, including soliciting a 500,000-rand-a-year (70,000-dollar-a-year) bribe from the French arms manufacturer Thint on Zuma's behalf.
Parts of Pietermaritzburg have been brought to a standstill for the trial with taxi associations suspending operations and schools closing in a sign of support for Zuma.
More Zuma supporters were expected to pour into the city Monday from across the country to root for their man as part of a mass mobilization aimed at putting pressure on the state to abandon its case.
A defeat in Pietermaritzburg would still not mean Zuma would necessarily end up in the dock. His attorney has already said he would appeal to the Constitutional Court if the court finds against Zuma.
If the appeal fails, Zuma would likely seek a permanent stay of prosecution on the basis of the delay in bringing him to trial.
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