South Africans are expected to learn on Monday if corruption charges against Jacob Zuma would be withdrawn, which would leave him free to become president without the prospect of impending prosecution.

The Sunday Times reported that Zuma had already been informed that the case against him would be dropped in a decision that reportedly divided the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The weekly and other publications reported that senior prosecutor Billy Downer and investigators tried in vain to convince colleagues to let a judge decide the merits of the politically-fraught case ? an opinion also voiced by axed NPA chief Vusi Pikoli.

They are said to believe that, eight years into the investigation but with weeks to go to the elections, acting NPA head Mokotedi Mpshe buckled under pressure from the ANC to let the ruling party leader off the hook.

Illicit tapes

For the past fortnight, it had been reported that Zuma confronted the NPA with a bombshell in the form of illicit tapes revealing that former president Thabo Mbeki colluded with ex-Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy to bury his political rival.

The NPA has refused to be drawn on whether such tapes exist.

City Press suggested they may not and said that a remark attributed to McCarthy, in which he told Mbeki "you will always be my president" did not provide proof of political meddling.

The newspaper cited unnamed sources claiming it was merely a polite reply to a downcast Mbeki joking that he could no longer be called president, after Zuma wrested the ANC leadership from him at the party's conference in Polokwane.

"Desperate bid"

They said the Zuma camp had quoted it out of context as part of a "desperate" bid to create a public perception that the case was history, and make Mpshe fear that pressing ahead regardless could destabilise the country.

Several newspapers reported that Mpshe would ask the police to investigate the allegations Zuma made in his representations to have the 16 charges against him scrapped.

The charges, linked in part to the country's multi-billion rand arms deal, include one of racketeering, one of money-laundering, two of corruption and 12 of fraud.

Pre-empting the move, the United Democratic Movement warned Mpshe not to pass the buck to a police force tainted by rumours that it had spied on Mbeki and the Scorpions and forwarded information to Zuma.

"It is the same police who have been wrongfully investigating NPA staff and displaying their partisan bias by leaking illegal surveillance to Mr Zuma... and cannot be expected now to seriously investigate this matter," UDM president Bantu Holomisa said.

"The NPA and the ANC's credibility are on the line."

He insisted that Zuma had a case to answer, as did Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille who said her party would "consider taking legal action to have (the charges) re-instated".

Zille said she would attend the NPA's press conference on Monday morning, despite being told that only media were welcome.