A few hundred supporters of Jacob Zuma marched up and down Pietermaritzburg’s Church Street on Tuesday ahead of the former deputy president’s court appearance.
”Fight conspiracy and demand justice”, read one of the banners the protesters carried.
Another read: ”Can Pikoli understand the word justice? No!”, referring to National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli.
One of the protesters shouted ”Tutu must apologise,” as he marched past journalists and police officers.
In August Archbishop Desmond Tutu said that Zuma, as former head of the moral regeneration movement, should withdraw as a potential presidential candidate after having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman half his age.
He also criticised him for not controlling his supporters at his Johannesburg High Court rape trial earlier this year.
A vendor outside the court, Masosha Mbambo, told the South African Press Association that he and his fellow business people were not sure what to expect.
”Last time we lost a lot of money as police chased us away from the court. Today [Tuesday] we are not sure if Zuma supporters would actually buy or if they will get violent,” said Mbambo, who sells snacks and drinks.
On Tuesday Zuma’s legal team will try to have his corruption case thrown out of court while the state will seek a postponement of the trial until next year.
Zuma’s co-accused, the two Thint companies, would also be seeking to have their case thrown out of court. Zuma is accused of having allegedly accepted a R500 000 a year bribe from Thint in exchange for protection into the arms deal probe.
A reason to preach
Meanwhile, the crowd was urged on Monday night by the provincial leadership of the tripartite alliance to ”behave” and not to give Archbishop Desmond Tutu a ”reason to preach”.
KwaZulu-Natal ANC Youth League leader Nhlakanipho Ntombela said: ”You should exercise the maximum discipline and let us not give people like Tutu something to preach us about.”
He told the cheering crowd at the night vigil that the ANC’s leaders would be chosen by party structures ”and not bishops, media and political analysts”.
Speaking at the third annual Harold Wolpe Memorial lecture on August 23, Tutu urged Zuma to ”not to take further part in the succession race of his party”.
Tutu accused Zuma of never apologising for his sexual ”misdemeanour” although he was heading the moral regeneration movement in the country.
He also accused Zuma of doing ”nothing to stop his supporters” at the rape trial. Tutu also came under fire from Bheki Cele, the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison.
”It was confusing to hear the [arch]bishop saying Zuma did not apologise,” said Cele.
”A day after the judgement [on his rape trial] Zuma called a press briefing where he apologised to the nation and we all heard that,” Cele told the crowd.
He criticised the archbishop for saying that Zuma had not called his supporters into order when they misbehaved.
”When ever he spoke Zuma has always urged his supporters to behave in an acceptable manner.”
Cele said they hoped God would forgive the archbishop for ”judging” the ANC deputy president.
ANC provincial secretary general Senzo Mchunu said the crowd would be briefed after every hour on the proceedings inside the court.
Earlier police erected barriers around the Pietermaritzburg High Court to keep control of the large crowds expected to arrive at Freedom Square when Zuma enters the court room on Tuesday.
The supporters danced and sang to pro-Zuma songs blaring from large speakers on the back of a white bakkie while vendors lined up on the pavement on the road opposite the court.
Charles Mtombeni had arrived in Pietermaritzburg on Monday morning from Johannesburg to sell ANC and Zuma T-shirts and caps.
”We have not slept, we will only go to sleep tomorrow night,’ Mtombeni said.
While he had not sold a single T-shirt by 8pm, many people had shown an interest in his wares. Fruit and snack vendors were, however, doing a brisk trade.
A pleased Lethina Zitha said a number of Zuma supporters had already bought some of her apples, bananas, oranges and packets of chips.
”I came here this morning and I will go back home in the morning,” said Zitha (65) from Inanda, north of Durban. She said she was struggling to raise her three grandchildren.
Zitha said that ”when Zuma is elected president [of the country]” he would be able to solve their problems.
”I wish him luck on his trial. Viva, Msholozi, viva.”
Earlier in the day at a press conference, KwaZulu-Natal ANC secretary-general Senzo Mchunu said the ANC was expecting as many as 10 000 people to converge on Pietermaritzburg by the time Zuma arrived at court.
”The numbers coming to support him have stabilised. We expect between 8 000 and 10 000 people to show their support like last time.”
Mchunu said organisers had been ”very happy” with the way supporters had behaved when Zuma appeared in court on July 31.
He said several national leaders of the tripartite alliance were expected to turn up to show their support, including Zwelinzima Vavi, the general secretary of Cosatu.
Cosatu’s KwaZulu-Natal general secretary, Zet Luzipho, would not attend proceedings after he was injured in a car crash on Sunday. – Sapa