A South African court has granted former president Jacob Zuma’s request for a delay in his arms deal corruption trial, adjourning proceedings for three weeks.
Zuma who is accused of receiving kickbacks over a $US2 billion arms deal from the 1990s, pleaded not guilty in May to charges including corruption, fraud and money laundering.
Zuma has evaded prosecution for more than a decade, portraying himself as the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt. He started a 15-month sentence for contempt of court, appeared before the Pietermaritzburg court virtually and stayed silent.
His legal team argued that a postponement should be granted so he could appear in person.
Zuma’s jailing this month triggered some of the worst unrest of the post-apartheid era in which over 200 people were killed and over 2,500 people were arrested.
It was driven by widespread anger over the poverty and inequality that persist nearly three decades after the end of white minority rule.
There were fears that Mr Zuma’s latest court appearance could lead to a flare-up of violent protests from his support base.
But that has not materialised so far, with President Cyril Ramaphosa saying that calm has been restored to most of the affected areas.
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