Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Chris Nicholson's verdict that the decision to prosecute African National Congress president Jacob Zuma was invalid must be respected, political parties said on Friday.

ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said it was a victory for justice and the constitution.

"The ANC calls on all South Africans and state institutions to respect the judgement handed down by Judge Chris Nicholson.

"It vindicates our view and further confirms the established position that the National Prosecuting Authority acted as though it was a law unto itself with undue political interference, and that Jacob Zuma was not responsible for the delays in prosecution," she said.

The ANC had always maintained that throughout the investigation and prosecution of this case, Zuma's rights had been repeatedly violated by the NPA.

Torture of public condemnation

"This case has been commented upon extensively, wrongly and in a skewed fashion, unfairly subjecting our president to the torture of public condemnation, undue prejudicial delay and violating his right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

"We believe that our president has been a subject of a vindictive prosecution," Duarte said.

However, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille said Zuma's supporters who "resorted to intimidatory and violent action" should understand their behaviour had no influence on the judgment.

"They must also understand that their behaviour has no place in a constitutional democracy."

Zille said it was significant that Nicholson stressed this was not a judgment on Zuma's guilt or innocence.

Guilty of corruption charges

"We are still no closer to knowing whether Zuma is innocent or guilty of the corruption charges brought against him," she said.

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa, said it should be remembered that no substantive arguments had been heard about the merits and demerits of the charges Zuma faced.

"In other words, Mr Zuma remains a suspect with a cloud hanging over his head, and a former financial adviser in prison for committing fraud and corruption.

"It is not the first time that the courts have ruled in his favour, so hopefully Mr Zuma and his supporters will stop questioning the impartiality of the judiciary.

"It is also pivotal that the question of whether there are undue political motives behind the prosecution of Mr Zuma be resolved; that too, can best be achieved in an open court," Holomisa said.

Supported the legal route

The Inkatha Freedom Party's Musa Zondi, said his party had always supported the legal route as opposed to a political quick-fix to Zuma's charges, as demanded persistently by the ANC's alliance partners.

The IFP continued to support the legal course of Zuma's battle as long as it remained within the competencies of South Africa's judiciary.

"We continue to have full confidence in South Africa's judicial system. The IFP stands for the rule of law where the constitution reigns supreme," Zondi said.

Independent Democrats (ID) leader Patricia de Lille said Zuma should still "face the music and clear his name".

The judgment also "clearly indicates blatant political interference by President (Thabo) Mbeki and Cabinet members in the NPA process and the timing of charging Zuma".

Shocking indictment on Mbeki

"The ID views this as a shocking indictment on Mbeki and his Cabinet and lends further weight to the ID's call for a vote of no confidence in the President and the Cabinet, who must take collective responsibility for this entire debacle," De Lille said.

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder said the political fall-out of the judgment was that South Africa might now never know the whole truth about the arms deal.

He proposed that government immediately institute an independent commission to investigate the whole arms deal.

"This is the only way in which the cloud of alleged corruption over the arms deal, Mr Zuma and President Mbeki, could finally be removed," Mulder said.

Steve Swart of the African Christian Democratic Party, said the judgment was "damning" of Mbeki and former justice minister Penuell Maduna and his successor Brigitte Mabandla.

Huge set back for the NPA

"It is a huge set back for the NPA in its prosecution of Mr Zuma.

"Notwithstanding that the judge did not pronounce on the guilt of Mr Zuma, it is difficult to see how the NPA can continue in its prosecution in view of the serious findings of political interference," Swart said.

For its part, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), said the judgment had seriously undermined the NPA's credibility.

Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said Nicholson's findings completely vindicated Cosatu and its allies' stance that Zuma's prosecution was politically manipulated and should be abandoned.

"We agree in particular with Judge Nicholson's description of the decision in 2003 by the then national director of public prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, not to prosecute Zuma despite the presence of a prima facie case, as 'bizarre', given that a decision had been made to prosecute Schabir Shaik and his corporate entities," Craven said.

Sapa