ANC president Jacob Zuma is unlikely to ever get a free and fair trial, party spokesperson Carl Niehaus said on Wednesday.

"This is Mr. Zuma's 38th time that he's appearing in court over a period of at least seven-and-a-half years," Niehaus told SABC radio.

He said the National Prosecuting Authority had behaved poorly in this case.

"There's been so many media trials being conducted against Mr. Zuma that his rights have been so severely damaged, that it is unlikely that he is ever going to be able to get a free and a fair trial," Niehaus said ahead of Zuma's appearance in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Wednesday.

He said the ANC would "engage itself actively" in the court process.

The appearance was expected to result in the setting of a timetable for the resumption of the case against Zuma.

Sapa