"There is no cloud. There has been allegations against me and the State has not been able to put up the case. I have not been found guilty in a court of law," he said.

Zuma was responding to questions from the media in Durban on why he did not go to court to have his name cleared.

The ruling party president conceded he had received a loan from convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik but declined to elaborate, saying it was contained in his representation to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

He did, however, say that he had re-paid part of the loan.

Zuma began the briefing on a light-hearted note, joking with journalists about "converting" them to vote for the ANC.

The jovial mood quickly dissipated as Zuma got down to business, highlighting the ordeal he and his family had been subjected to during the time the charges hung over him.

On Monday, the NPA announced its decision to drop the 16 charges it was pursuing against Zuma after representations by the ANC presidential pick's attorneys showed interference and an abuse of State institutions.

But the party president said he did not hold any grudges.

"I have come across such things in the past, I believe that if people know that what they have done has become known they will desist from doing so in the future."