Several hundred supporters of African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma chanted slogans and picketed outside various courts across the greater Durban area on Friday.
The protests, announced two weeks ago by the ANC’s eThekwini region, are to be followed by the handing over of memorandums detailing the party’s demands, including that the National Prosecuting Authority drop charges against Zuma.
A crowd of about 50 were picketing outside the Durban Magistrate’s Court, while police spokesperson Constable Siwe Nxumalo said that about 300 supporters were protesting outside the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Danelia Veldhuizen said there were about 100 protesters at the Umlazi court. According to unconfirmed reports, cases at the court were being rolled over due to high noise levels.
Captain Edmund Singh said a small group of about 50 protesters had gathered at the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court.
Another protest is planned for September 10 outside the National Prosecuting Authority’s offices in Durban.
On the night before Zuma finds out whether Judge Chris Nicholson has ruled in his favour to have the decision to charge him declared unlawful, protesters will converge on Pietermaritzburg’s Freedom Square to stage a night vigil.
Zuma faces a charge of racketeering, four charges of corruption, a charge of money laundering and 12 charges of fraud related to a multibillion-rand arms 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.
The two Thint companies — Thint Holding (Southern Africa) Pty Ltd and Thint (Pty) Ltd — are the South African subsidiaries of French arms manufacturing giant Thales International (formerly Thomson-CFS). They each face a charge of racketeering and two counts of corruption. — Sapa