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Zuma hits out at media

ACPicture: (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)- ANC President Jacob Zuma gestures to supporters outside the court in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. A South African judge announced today he will rule Sept. 12 whether to dismiss fraud and corruption charges against the country’s strongest presidential candidate, Jacob Zuma. The 66-year-old president of the governing African National Congress party, along with a French arms company, of bribery in a multi-billion-rand (dollar) 1999 arms deal.

Ruling party leader Jacob Zuma lashed out at the media in an address to his supporters outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court today.

Zuma, who will know on September 12 whether the court will scrap a graft case against him, he spoke to his supporters mainly in isiZulu after Judge Chris Nicholson adjourned the hearing.

He criticized the media for accusing him of using delaying tactics in the case that started as early as 2003.

Zuma says “he can not discuss the case but… he says its bad when people say opinions as if they are stating facts, especially when it’s people who are trusted by the society — that whatever they say is true,”.

“The media is writing non-stop that Zuma is just delaying this case… Zuma asked how can I be accused of delaying tactics?”

The African National Congress president, who was introduced to the crowd by a primary school boy acting as praise singer and dressed in traditional Zulu clothing, has been to several courts to block the case against him.

Last week, the Constitutional Court ruled against him when he contested the lawfulness of search and seizure operations by the state.

MRN-SAPA

MRN