5 000 expected at Zuma vigil
2008-09-09 21:05
Durban - The ANC is expecting at least 5 000 supporters to converge on the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday night before Judge Nicholson rules on whether the decision to charge its president Jacob Zuma was lawful.
The ANC's provincial secretary general Senzo Mchunu urged supporters to "continue displaying the good behaviour that they have shown in all past appearances irrespective of the outcome of judgment handed down on Friday".
Mchunu, who was speaking at a news conference in Durban, said: "We, however, still maintain that this is a political case.
"We stand firm on our call that the NPA should withdraw the charges."
Top officials at vigil
He said ANC top officials and members of the party's national executive committee, its provincial executive committee and leaders of alliance partners - the Congress of SA Trade Unions, the SA Communist Party and the SA National Civic Organisation - will also attend the vigil and subsequent rally outside the court buildings.
Mchunu expressed support for the recent protests by the party's eThekwini region - which has so far staged marches on police stations and courts in the greater Durban area.
The provincial leadership would be joining the march to the Durban offices of the National Prosecuting Authority to demand that the charges be dropped.
Zuma faces a charge of racketeering, four charges of corruption, a charge of money laundering and 12 charges of fraud related to the multi-billion rand arms government arms deal.
Zuma was charged in 2005, but that case was struck from the role in 2006. He was re-charged in December 2007.
The two Thint companies - Thint Holding (Southern Africa) Pty Ltd and Thint (Pty) Ltd - are the South African subsidiaries of the French arms manufacturing giant Thales International (formerly Thomson-CFS).
They each face a charge of racketeering and two counts of corruption.
- SAPA