South African leader seeks dismissal of charges against him

The man expected to become the next president of South Africa pressed Monday for the dismissal of corruption and fraud charges against him in a case testing the strength of the country's democracy and political stability. Inside the Pietermaritzburg High Court, lawyers argued the legal technicalities of dropping the charges against Jacob Zuma. Outside, after the hearing, a large crowd of Zuma supporters went wild as he appeared on a trailer and belted out an anti-apartheid song that has become his personal anthem: "Bring Me My Machine Gun." "We are here in our thousands to say, 'Hands off our president, hands off,"' declared Zwelinzima Vavi, a trade union leader and one of Zuma's most outspoken loyalists. Zuma, 66, ousted President Thabo Mbeki as head of the governing African National Congress in December and is likely to... [read full story]