A South African judge in the corruption trial of ANC leader Jacob Zuma said today he will reserve judgement on Mr Zuma's bid to have a graft case that could stop him becoming president dismissed.
Judge Chris Nicholson said he will deliver his judgment on September 12th.
The court hearing had resumed at 10am today in the eastern town of Pietermarizburg.
Mr Zuma (66), who ousted President Thabo Mbeki as leader of the ANC in December, has been under investigation for taking bribes from arms dealers since 2001.
He says the charges are aimed at stopping him from becoming president after elections next year and has repeatedly sought to delay the case coming to court.
Yesterday Mr Zuma's lawyer, Kemp J. Kemp, argued that legal procedures were flouted when the charges were reinstated against his client on December 28th last year and that his constitutional rights had been violated.
Arms dealers prosecutors allege Mr Zuma took 783 bribes totalling 4.07 million rand from arms dealers.
Mr Mbeki fired Mr Zuma as his deputy in 2005 after allegations surfaced that Zuma's financial adviser tried to solicit a bribe for him. The adviser, Schabir Shaik, was convicted of bribing Mr Zuma in 2006 and sentenced to 15 years in jail.
The ANC, which has nominated Mr Zuma as its presidential candidate in next year's election, wants the case dropped. `
"On the contrary many South Africans find the trial unacceptable. Mbeki should take responsibility for the political upheaval the trial has caused, said Julius Malema, the leader of the ANC's youth league.
"Mbeki must leave now and Zuma must become president now,'' Mr Malema told about 3,000 people who gathered outside the courthouse to support Mr Zuma yesterday.
Bloomberg