An election rally in honour of late freedom fighter Chris Hani in Clermont, Durban on Saturday turned into a day of mudslinging and political head bashing.

With less than two weeks before the election, the Young Communist League (YCL) national secretary Buti Manamela, Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, and SA Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande used the opportunity to attack opposition party leaders.

"We want to tell ugly Zille... we defeated Helen Suzman and we will defeat you"

At the top of their list was Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille.

"Opposition parties want to win the election in court. We want to tell ugly Zille... we defeated Helen Suzman and we will defeat you.

"You can go to court until you are blue. We do not care. The people know Jacob Zuma is innocent," said Manamela.

He was responding to Zille's court application in the High Court in Pretoria for a review in the decision by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to drop corruption charges against the ANC president.

National Director of Public Prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe withdrew corruption charges against Zuma on Monday, saying the decision was based on flaws in the prosecution's own process.

He cited extracts from transcripts of phone recordings as proof that former Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy had taken political instructions on the timing of recharging Zuma in 2007. Also quoted was former NPA chief Bulelani Ngquka.

Questions later arose about how Zuma?s lawyers ended up with the tapes.

The charges against the president-in-waiting were formally withdrawn in the High Court in Durban on Tuesday.

Also addressing the rally at the Fennin Stadium in Clermont on Saturday was Vavi, who told the crowd that people were trying to persecute an innocent man and that Zille?s attempts would fail.

"Who gave Zuma?s lawyers the tapes is not important. Why is that more important than the truth," Vavi questioned. "We know certain people we trusted in the state abused their power to persecute a leader and their friend," he said.

Vavi also asked the crowd why there has been no uproar against Ngquka or "the number one... big man" mentioned by Mpshe.

Attending the rally in their bright red SA Communist Party T-shirts, groups of people from the 7,000 strong crowd danced and toyi-toyed while waiting for their leaders to address them.

Other high profile speakers were Transport minister Jeff Radebe, Safety and Security minister Nathi Mthethwa and Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini. Sapa /ma/vm