Deputy President Jacob Zuma has a nail-biting few days before President Thabo Mbeki takes the nation into his confidence and announces whether his popular second-in-command will be fired or remain in office.

"The president has indicated that as soon as practicable after his return from the state visit to Chile, he will communicate to the public any decisions that he will have taken on the matter," a government statement said.

Mbeki had also informed Zuma accordingly, it said.

Government spokesman Joel Netshitenzhe said the men had held "lengthy discussions" yesterday.

Mbeki returns to South Africa on Thursday.

According to the government, the president had received a copy of the Schabir Shaik judgment.

Mbeki was studying it "to form a comprehensive view on its legal and political implications for government".

The president was also awaiting the completion of the legal process in the Shaik case before determining the course of action to follow.

In stark contrast to Zuma's supporters who have questioned the judgment, the statement said Mbeki wished "to reiterate the position of government that we accept the outcome of the trial, recognising that there may be an appeal to higher courts".

"The president and government do not only respect the rule of law, but we are fully cognisant of the constitutional obligation on the part of the president to act as the custodian of this principle."

In terms of Section 91 of the constitution, the president has the power to appoint the deputy president and dismiss him.

Mbeki, who left for Chile last night, was accompanied by NPA head Vusi Pikoli who ultimately will decide whether to prosecute Zuma for corruption.

Although Pikoli may discuss the case with Mbeki, the Chilean embassy said last night that the primary reason for his visit is to sign a co-operation agreement with his Chilean counterpart.

Meanwhile, Cosatu and the tripartite alliance partners in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday came out in Zuma's support, a day after the ANCYL, the Young Communist League and the SACP rallied around the embattled deputy president.

The alliance in Zuma's traditional support base announced its "unqualified confidence" in the deputy president, Sapa reported.

After a meeting of Cosatu's 21 affiliate unions, the trade union federation warned the ANC that if the "political trial" against Zuma was handled inappropriately, it would have a devastating effect.

It repeated that the trial was part of a political conspiracy to stop Zuma from becoming the future president and was being fuelled by sinister forces in the ANC who wanted to stymie his career.

However, Cosatu stopped short of predicting that Cosatu would split from the alliance, if Zuma was forced to go.

Cosatu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi said the union would call for an emergency meeting of the alliance leadership "to discuss this matter".

An alliance secretariat meeting is scheduled for today.

The ANC, however, remained tightlipped after its national working committee (NWC) meeting.

ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama said the party would not issue a statement because the NWC was a routine meeting.

He would not say whether the Shaik case and its implications for Zuma were raised.

However, an NWC member who asked not to be named, said the matter was not discussed.

"Perhaps it was discussed by the officials (the ANC's top five). But not in the NWC."

Vavi, who has come out personally in support of Zuma as the next president, repeated that Shaik's trial "was nothing but a political trial of the deputy president".

"We are convinced that this political onslaught... has to do with the fact that his name has been bandied within the movement as a possible successor in the ANC in 2007 and (in the country in) 2009.

"He wouldn't have attracted the same attention if his name was not among those considered to succeed the current president," Vavi told reporters in Johannesburg.

Vavi blamed "sinister forces" in the ANC of plotting to cut Zuma's career short.

"If we are going to allow this campaign in the media ... the deputy president is being put in an untenable situation where he is forced to resign on his own."

Vavi warned against treating Zuma "shabbily".

With acknowledgements to Moshoeshoe Monare, Angela Quintal, Peter Fabricius and the Cape Times.