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Vice-President Zuma, who faces corruption charges, is the unlikely hero of the left

Two groups of armed men squared up to each other outside former Deputy President Jacob Zuma's house in Johannesburg's wealthy Forest Town suburb on 18 August. One was a team from the 'Scorpions' (the National Prosecuting Authority), busy searching Zuma's house; the other group comprised his bodyguards from the Presidential Protection Unit, who raced to the spot to confront the Scorpions. After a few tense minutes with guns cocked, the Zuma-loyalists backed down. The odds are that, in the bigger political and judicial battles ahead, Zuma's people will again have to retreat....

(This article contains approximately 1468 words)

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Keywords:

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