July 19, 2021: The long running corruption trial of former south African president Jacob Zuma, has resumed amid days of deadly unrest and looting across the country over his imprisonment on a previous charge.

Zuma appeared in practice in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday, where he was charged with 16 counts of fraud, corruption and forgery in connection with the 1999 purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military gear from five European arms companies when he was vice president.

The 79-year-old is accused of taking bribes from a firm of the French defense company Thales, which has been charged with corruption and money laundering. The trial began in May, but Zuma’s legal team faced several delays in trying to clear up the allegations.

On Monday, the former president’s legal team again requested that the trial be adjourned, arguing that the defendant had the right to appear in court in person. Earlier, Jacob Zuma appeared in court at the start of the trial to show his innocence.

On 29th June, the former president was accused of contempt of the South African High Court for complying with a constitutional court order to testify before a judicial panel investigating corruption during his presidency. A week later, his imprisonment sparked large-scale violent protests, looting and arson in his home province of KwaZuluNatal, as well as in Guateng Province, which led to vandalism in commercial areas and led to the deaths of at least 200 people.

On Monday, armored vehicles and a large number of armed soldiers and police stood outside the court amid fears that the resumption of the trial would lead to more violent protests, which have subsided over the weekend.

Jacob Zuma, a veteran of the struggle against white minority rule, served as South Africa’s president from 2009 to 2018 before resigning under pressure from his party, the African National Congress ANC, amid declining public support and public anger at the corruption allegations.

Zuma whose lawyers are currently seeking to over turn his 15 month prison sentence and who was once dubbed the “Teflon president”, along with his backers has repeatedly dismissed scrutiny of his conduct and deny stoking the current unrest.

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