Hundreds toyi-toyi for Zuma
2008-09-12 07:50
Pietermaritzburg - Hundreds of Jacob Zuma supporters were singing and toyi-toying outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday morning, ahead of a ruling on the lawfulness of prosecuting the ruling party leader.
Judge Chris Nicholson will deliver judgment on whether the decision to prosecute him on corruption and other charges was unlawful, while thousands of supporters will wait expectantly outside the court for news on the verdict.
A few hundred people had already converged by 07:00 on Friday, some of them who held a night vigil for him in Freedom Square opposite the court on Thursday evening.
The numbers are expected to swell during the day and police said they were preparing for a crowd of 15 000.
Drizzle
Songs about Zuma were playing over a loud speaker at Freedom Square opposite the court building as supporters arrived in small groups, some carrying umbrellas to protect themselves against a light drizzle.
TV camera crews, photographers and journalists were setting up shop, watching a group of Zuma supporters toyi-toying and singing.
Heavily armed police were keeping a close watch and roads around the court had been closed.
Traders throughout the square were braaing and selling boerewors, saying they needed an early start to make money.
The African National Congress Youth League earlier this week said they had planned a "huge party" because they were convinced that corruption and other charges against Zuma would be dropped.
Zuma faces a charge each of racketeering and money laundering, two charges of corruption and 12 charges of fraud related to the multi-billion rand government arms deal.
Zuma was charged in 2005, but that case was struck from the roll in 2006. He was re-charged in December 2007.
A charge of racketeering and two counts of corruption are also faced by two Thint companies - Thint Holding (Southern Africa) Pty Ltd and Thint (Pty) Ltd - the South African subsidiaries of the French arms manufacturer Thales International (formerly Thomson-CFS).
- SAPA