The ANC Youth League confirmed that it is providing infrastructure support for former Deputy President Jacob Zuma.

The league, believed to be short of money, provided 60 buses to ferry people from round KwaZulu-Natal to attend a night vigil for Zuma on Friday and his court appearance in Durban yesterday, according to league spokesman Zizi Kodwa.

He said such support should not be viewed as a campaign by Zuma and the youth league against President Thabo Mbeki or as a platform for Zuma's bid for the presidency in 2009.

"Our point of departure in terms of our support for Zuma is based on the National General Council resolution. The ANC took a decision to support him," he said.

This was why the league had not condemned Cosatu when it had called on the National Prosecuting Authority to drop charges against Zuma.

"We cannot pretend that the decision to support and show solidarity for the deputy president of the ANC is an individual decision."

Kodwa said the youth league, working with other alliance partners, would continue to provide infrastructure support for Zuma up to his trial started at the end of July next year.

"For July 31, we are organising a tsunami. South Africans must hold their breath because they will never have witnessed such a demonstration like the one they will see [that day] in the country's history," he said.

In Cape Town, just over 100 *1 protesters arrived for the ANC Youth League's show of support for Zuma, although organisers had predicted more than 1 000.

Posters reading Wenzeni uZuma (What has Zuma done?), "100% Zuma" and "Zuma is a man of integrity" were waved in front of the Cape High Court.

Songezo Mjongile, a youth league national executive committee member, said: "The message we are getting across is that the Zuma issue does not affect only KwaZulu-Natal but the country as a whole."

In Johannesburg, only a handful *1 of league supporters staged a demonstration outside the High Court.

Additional reporting by Thandisizwe Mgudlwa and Jeanne van der Merwe.

Durban

Expected : 30 000, got : 2 000

Cape Town

Expected : 1 000, got : 100

Johannesburg