Publication	Cape Argus
Date	2005-11-04
Reporter	Angela Quintal
Web Link	www.capeargus.co.za

A former deputy president, an ex-chief whip and a suspended spy boss will today join the ranks of hundreds of South Africans embroiled in court battles of their own.

ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma and his lawyers are set to receive a provisional indictment ahead of the former deputy president's corruption trial, which is to be held in the Durban High Court in July next year.

And in the Pretoria High Court today *1 ex-ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni will know whether his separate applications for a review of his criminal trial and an appeal against his conviction and four-year sentence for fraud will succeed.

Controversially, the State has backed Yengeni's appeal against his sentence.*2

It asked for an 18-month suspended jail term, instead of the four-year sentence, of which at least eight months have to be served, imposed by the trial magistrate.

Also in the Pretoria High Court, spy boss Gibson Njenje is set to contest his suspension by Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils for alleged illegal spying on businessman Saki Macozoma.

Njenje was suspended more than two weeks ago, along with National Intelligence Agency director-general Billy Masetlha and counter-intelligence chief Bob Mhlanga.

Kasrils has confirmed he will defend the matter.

Njenje believes his suspension is unlawful and has denied any wrongdoing.

The Zuma lobby in the ANC and the alliance hope to force a showdown over the alleged abuse of state resources and the spy saga at the ANC's national executive committee meeting.

The NEC meeting has been postponed until November 18 as it was to have coincided with Zuma's appearance in the Durban Magistrate's Court next Saturday.

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*1  Can't find any article on the judgment.

*2  I was wrong, I thought that there were only two imbongolos named Ronnie; there are obviously more somewhere hiding deep in the Victoria and Griffiths Mxenge Building.