Zuma faces new corruption trial after court ruling

AFRICAN National Congress leader Jacob Zuma suffered a legal defeat yesterday that could force him to divide his time between a corruption trial and a presidential campaign.

South Africa’s second- highest court cleared the way for a new corruption trial for Zuma, overturning a lower court’s decision to throw out the case. Supreme Court judge Louis Harms said the original ruling was riddled with errors and ignored basic legal standards.

Prosecutors said they will seek a new trial date, while the ANC insisted Zuma remains its presidential candidate.

The ruling comes just two days after Zuma was cheered like a rock star at a rally that drew tens of thousands and launched the governing party’s campaign for elections expected in March or April.

The ANC, embraced as the party that led the battle against apartheid, has dominated all three votes since white rule ended in 1994. It is expected to do well this year as well, even with the cloud over Zuma and a new challenge from Mbeki supporters who formed their own party late last year.

Zuma’s camp is worried, though. He can run for the president while he faces charges but he cannot become president if convicted.

Zuma did not attend the hearing in central Bloemfontein, the legal capital. Instead, a senior ANC leader, Mathole Motshekga, sat with Zuma’s lawyers as the judgment was read and later said Zuma would likely take the matter to the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court.