Former president Jacob Zuma is set to get his day in court - almost nine years after the NPA let him off the hook - in what promises to be a sensational trial to cap the scandal-ridden presidency that brought the country to the brink.
The charges relate to the arms-deal corruption involving his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik and will, according to highly placed sources in the security cluster, be reinstated in the coming weeks.
With President Cyril Ramaphosa taking the helm this week and announcing a "new dawn" for South Africa, Zuma's vast patronage network has collapsed around him in double-quick time.
As Zuma resisted pressure to step down at the behest of the ANC, the Hawks were raiding the Gupta compound in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, and eight suspects in the Vrede dairy farm scandal that allegedly enriched the controversial business family appeared in court.
Amid the drama, police were yesterday still on the lookout for Zuma's son Duduzane, as well as Gupta brothers Ajay, Atul and Tony, who slipped the net before the Hawks raided the Gupta compound on Wednesday.
Compounding Zuma's woes were new indications that he could face disciplinary action by the ANC, angered at his noncompliance with a national executive committee order to step down - going on SABC TV to say he "disagreed" with the NEC decision, only to announce later that night that he would indeed quit office.
The Sunday Times can reveal today that an NPA team is going to recommend that some of the charges against Zuma be reinstated, having lined up more than 200 witnesses to testify against him.
Zuma is likely to face 18 main charges of racketeering, corruption, money laundering, tax evasion and fraud.
"Zuma is going to have his day in court soon and it's going to be ugly," an NPA source said this week.
Said another source: "It is just a matter of days, Zuma is going to be charged."
In a letter on Tuesday, NPA boss Shaun Abrahams informed Zuma that once he had received the recommendations, he "will advise on the way forward, including the date by which I intend to announce my decision in this matter".
Zuma, according to those close to him, will take the charges on review, which will prolong the matter. "The strategy is 'Charge me but I'll take it on review' - that is why he wanted six months' extension in office. This case will take forever," said a source with knowledge of the matter.
'NPA means business this time'
NPA spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said: "The matter relating to former president Zuma is still under consideration. The prosecution team is yet to submit their recommendations to Advocate Abrahams."
There are claims that Abrahams had to be "dissuaded" from removing Advocate Billy Downer SC from the team. Downer originally prosecuted the case and that of Shaik.
"Billy has been seen as the vulture circling Zuma and is prepared to take the former president to jail by any means necessary as his career trophy," a source said.
Mfaku denied this. "At no stage did the [national director of public prosecutions] want to remove Advocate Downer from the team. There has been no reason brought to his attention to date to do so nor had it ever been a consideration."
Bongani Ngqulunga yesterday said he was no longer Zuma's spokesman and referred all queries to the former president's legal adviser, Michael Hulley, who didn't answer calls or respond to text messages.
It is just a matter of days, Zuma is going to be charged.
Zuma's longtime tormentor, Pretoria lawyer Ajay Sooklal, yesterday confirmed that he is one of the state witnesses.
"I am in consultation with the NPA and they have asked for my co-operation and I have acceded to that," he said.
Sooklal said he had been told the NPA has been busy "rounding up witnesses across the country".
"It seems to me that this time the NPA means business," he said.
Abrahams is set to announce the decision after Friday.
Meanwhile, Zuma's critics in the ANC are pushing for him to be disciplined for publicly attacking Ramaphosa and his top six team, according to several ANC leaders.
The move is likely to be rejected by Ramaphosa as it could plunge the party into a deeper crisis, with Zuma's supporters likely to revolt against any action against him.
Charging Zuma could lead to a possible split a year before general elections as there are already murmurings of plans of a breakaway in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal. It could also bolster Zuma's claims that he is being treated unfairly and that there is a conspiracy against him.
'He has no status now'
His detractors are furious about his comments during the SABC interview on Wednesday that the NEC's decision to recall him was unfair because the party had failed to provide him with an explanation of what he had done wrong.
Zuma claimed that Ramaphosa had agreed to his proposal that he only vacate his position after three months. He questioned why his removal was being fast-tracked.
"Zuma was out of order. We have decided that he is going to be disciplined," said an ANC leader.
The matter is expected to be discussed at the party's NEC meeting next month.
A senior NEC member said Zuma would now be on a short leash and watched for mobilising against the ANC. "He has no status now, not even as a branch leader, so he will be taken to task for using the structures of the ANC to mobilise for his own agenda."
There were plans to charge Zuma last year after he refused to abide by the findings of the ANC's integrity commission, which found that he had brought the ANC into disrepute. Those charges related to Zuma's cabinet reshuffle in which he fired Pravin Gordhan and Mcebisi Jonas. The reshuffle was opposed by three of the most senior ANC officials, and the integrity commission found that Zuma had disregarded the principle of collective leadership.
He refused to step down, telling the commission that doing so would allow the ANC to be "captured by the West".
A deputy minister who is a member of the NEC said the proposal to charge Zuma was being pushed by many other fellow NEC members.
"There are a lot of people who feel that he should be taken to task for showing disrespect to the highest decision-making body of the party, its collective leadership.
"I honestly see no value in going after him because, after all, we managed to get him out."
ANC spokesman Pule Mabe said he was not aware of such a move.
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