Zuma's Corruption Trial Resumes. Former South African President Jacob Zuma will return to court on 17 October for the resumption of his ongoing corruption trial, days after his prison sentence for a separate contempt of court charge expired. Zuma pleaded not guilty to charges including corruption, money laundering and racketeering for an alleged illegal $2 billion arms deal in the 1990s. Despite multiple attempts by Zuma's legal team to postpone the trial and take the lead prosecutor off the case, the trial will proceed at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg. 17 October and future key trial dates will see elevated risks of social unrest outside of the courthouse and in Zuma strongholds, such as Johannesburg and Durban. While these demonstrations appear unlikely to garner the necessary numbers to prompt a security crackdown, they could serve as a rallying point for the Radical Economic Transformation faction of the ruling African National Congress, which will strive to weaken Ramaphosa in the coming months.
