SOUTH AFRICA:A South African judge said yesterday he would decide next month on ruling party leader Jacob Zuma's bid to have a graft case against him dismissed.
The case is the biggest obstacle to Mr Zuma succeeding President Thabo Mbeki after general elections next year, almost certain to be won by the ANC.
"The court is going to reserve judgment in the main application. The judgment will be given on the 12th of September," Judge Chris Nicholson said.
The judge set a December 8th start date for Mr Zuma's corruption trial if he fails in his bid to have the charges dismissed.
Mr Zuma denies the charges of corruption, fraud, money-laundering and racketeering, but says he will step down if convicted.
A long trial could overlap with next year's general election, risking increased political instability in Africa's biggest economy.
Analysts said it was possible that any Zuma trial might be delayed for months, even years, as he would be able to appeal the judge's ruling in the appeals court and South Africa's highest court, the constitutional court.
"The last appeal might well stretch even beyond a one-term Zuma presidency, which would end in 2014," said political scientist Keith Gottschalk of the University of the Western Cape.
Mr Zuma's strong links with trade unions worry some investors, who see Mr Mbeki's policies as more pro-business, but they are also concerned about continuing uncertainty.
The ANC leader is accused of taking 783 bribes totalling 4.07 million rand (€356,575) over a 10-year period. Most of the alleged payments were connected to his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, now serving a 15-year prison sentence for corruption. Mr Zuma is also accused of soliciting a 500,000 rand bribe from French arms group Thint over a massive deal arranged by South Africa in the late 1990s.
Charges against Mr Zuma were dropped in 2005 for technical reasons, although Mr Mbeki fired him as deputy president. Prosecutors renewed the charges shortly after Mr Zuma beat Mr Mbeki last December to win the ANC leadership.
- (Reuters)