Zuma confirmed as ANC presidential candidate

African National Congress president Jacob Zuma will be the party’s presidential candidate next year despite his pending trial for corruption, money laundering, fraud and racketeering, it was confirmed today.

The ANC’s powerful executive committee voiced concern that prosecutors filed the charges against Mr Zuma just days after he was elected ANC president, defeating incumbent Thabo Mbeki.

Mr Zuma’s allies claim he is the victim of a political vendetta.

The 65-year-old former guerrilla leader is due to go on trial in August in connection with a multibillion-pound arms scandal.

Similar charges against him were dropped on a technicality in 2006.

Mr Mbeki fired Mr Zuma as the country’s deputy president in 2005, after Mr Zuma’s financial adviser was convicted of trying to elicit bribes from French arms company Thint.

Prosecutors contend that Mr Zuma was aware of efforts to secure the bribes on his behalf in exchange for using his influence to halt an investigation into a multibillion-pound arms deal between Thint and the government.

Prosecutors now say they have additional evidence implicating Mr Zuma.

The ANC’s national executive committee met yesterday for the first time since Mr Zuma was elected.

Mr Mbeki did not attend the meeting in what was widely interpreted as a snub to the executive, which is now controlled by Zuma allies.

The ANC executive also discussed the new party policy to be issued at a rally next Saturday. This is seen as a test of whether the ANC will veer to the left.