NATIONAL NEWS - Zuma will attend the brief preliminary hearing at the Durban High Court in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, ahead of a trial that could send him to jail.

Crowds of Zuma’s loyal supporters and political opponents are expected to rally outside the court, where a large police presence is planned to prevent clashes.

Andrew Feinstein, a former lawmaker in the ruling African National Congress Party (ANC) which Zuma led with a firm grip for years, has campaigned for more than a decade for the case to come to court.

“The reality is that Jacob Zuma should find himself in jail,” Feinstein told AFP, saying that there was “overwhelming evidence” of the ex-president’s guilt.

Zuma is accused of taking bribes from French arms maker Thales over a contract worth 4 billion euros ($5 billion) during his time as a provincial economy minister and then deputy ANC president.

Thales, which supplied naval vessels as part of the deal, will also be charged with corruption and company representatives expected to appear in court alongside Zuma.

Read more on the Caxton publication, The Citizen.