A South African court has ruled that a corruption case against ruling party leader Jacob Zuma cannot go ahead.

He was facing charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering relating to a multi-billion dollar 1999 arms deal.

A judge in Pietermaritzburg said there was reason to believe the decision to charge him was politically motivated.

His words were drowned out by cheers of supporters outside the court. The decision effectively clears the path for Mr Zuma to become president.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Pietermaritzburg said there were scenes of celebration outside the court, where hundreds of people had gathered since Thursday evening for an all-night vigil.

  They had braved the very cold wintry and drizzly night to show their support, singing and chanting in Zulu "vuli ndlela", which loosely translated, means open the door.

Their message was that the Supreme Court should leave the way open for the African National Congress (ANC) leader to become president next year by dropping the case.

Jubilant

Judge Chris Nicholson said the decision to prosecute without consulting Mr Zuma, 66, had been invalid and ordered the charges to be set aside.

"I must repeat that this application has nothing to do with the guilt or otherwise of the applicant. It deals only with the procedural point relating to his [Zuma] right to making representations before the respondent [the prosecution] makes a decision on whether to charge him," AFP news agency quotes him as saying.



A jubilant Mr Zuma embraced his lawyer after the ruling, AP news agency reports.

Our correspondent says Mr Zuma's lawyers are due back in court before the end of the year in a separate case to try and get a permanent stay of prosecution.

Under South African law, a president does not have immunity from prosecution.

After leaving court, Mr Zuma addressed the crowds, and led them in his trademark anti-apartheid guerrilla song, "Umshini wami" (Bring Me My Machine-Gun).

"We came here to celebrate and we are going to celebrate. This [the judgement] exposed Thabo Mbeki and everybody who did this to him," South Africa's Mail and Guardian paper quotes ANC Youth League spokesman Floyd Shimvambu as saying.

Tension

The charges against Mr Zuma related to South Africa's largest post-apartheid arms deal, involving contracts totalling 30bn rand ($3.7bn; £2bn) to modernise its national defence force.

The deal involved companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, Britain, France and South Africa.

Mr Zuma was sacked as South Africa's deputy president in 2005, when his financial adviser was found guilty of soliciting a bribe on behalf of Mr Zuma and jailed for 15 years in connection with the deal.

He then went on trial, but the case collapsed in 2006 when the prosecution said it was not ready to proceed.

He was charged again last December shortly after winning a bitter campaign against President Thabo Mbeki to become ANC leader in what his allies say was a political conspiracy to prevent him becoming president.

Elections are due to be held in April or May 2009.

Tension was raised this week, following the publication of a cartoon showing Mr Zuma about to rape a figure labelled "Lady Justice" - a reference to the criticism of judges by Mr Zuma's supporters.

"We will eliminate any forces that come our way," ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said on Wednesday, according to local media.

In April 2006, Mr Zuma was acquitted of rape in a separate case, though he was widely criticised for comments about sex and HIV/Aids.

ZUMA TIMELINE
June 2005: Sacked as deputy president
October 2005: Charged with corruption
April 2006: Acquitted of rape charges
September 2006: Corruption case collapses
December 2007: Elected ANC president; re-charged with corruption shortly afterwards
September 2008: Judge rules corruption case cannot proceed
2009: Elections due

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7612233.stm

Something tells me that this is a sad day for SA politics.

I hope the justice system did not get impregnated from the rape.

Sagamite:

Something tells me that this is a sad day for SA politics.

I hope the justice system did not get impregnated from the rape.

It will give birth to injustice

i hope south africans are not falling into a one party state cause they are in for hell

So they finally pined the SA justice system for Zuma to rape her, now I suspect SA is in for long spell

Personally I think justice was served,Zuma won his case and he is a free man and can do whatever he wants.

RSA:

Personally I think justice was served,Zuma won his case and he is a free man and can do whatever he wants.

Yeah, Like rape a woman if he likes

icemann:

Yeah, Like rape a woman if he likes

Zuma never raped a woman(according to the judgement),the only sin he commited was to sleep with a woman who was HIV positive .

icemann:

Yeah, Like rape a woman if he likes

I never said He raped a woman.
Just said he can try it ,since u said he can do what ever he wants

l love Zuma.
the name in Hausa language means honey. l hope women find him sweet.

Zuma is more in touch with the ordinary south Africans , and l believe is going to make a good president.

aaaaaaaaaaaaah , South Africa is in deep trouble o.

This RSA people self! In SA they were complaining about the " Nigerianization" of SA. And yet they are jubiliating for Zuma. I pity them. They want to do African politics. One day that Zuma will zuma you people. Then you guys will come to understand why even dogs in Naija hustle. The beginning of the end is a bad leadership. Period!

From the way the Zuma issue has been handled, is like PDP has a branch in SA.

eaz:

This RSA people self! In SA they were complaining about the " Nigerianization" of SA. And yet they are jubiliating for Zuma. I pity them. They want to do African politics. One day that Zuma will zuma you people. Then you guys will come to understand why even dogs in Naija hustle. The beginning of the end is a bad leadership. Period!

From the way the Zuma issue has been handled, is like PDP has a branch in SA.

Gbosa!!!

Zuma the rapist has gone scot-free again!!

The positive thing is South Africa will have their third president in 15 years,by African standard this is a big achievement,Zuma will be given an opportunity to prove himself as a president and if he fails,next president will be elected.That is how things are done in RSA.

davidif:

aaaaaaaaaaaaah , South Africa is in deep trouble o.

In South Africa we don't vote for individuals for presidency we vote for a party which elect ist leader,policies come from the party not the president,The only difference between Zuma and Mbeki gorverment will be leadership style.