By Agiza Hlongwane
MaMkhize Xaba is not Jacob Zuma's number one fan for nothing.
Despite being hit by a car this week, injuring her right leg, Xaba, forgetting her pain, danced and ululated in celebration of Zuma's victory, like thousands of his supporters gathered outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday.
Xaba's loyalty to Zuma has come at a cost. She was fired from her job when she supported him during the rape trial.
And on Wednesday, she was allegedly hit by a car driven by a Free State MEC during a march in Sasolburg.
But less than 24 hours later, Xaba had travelled to Pietermaritzburg to support the ANC president in his bid to have criminal charges against him set aside.
With a dummy AK-47 rifle in hand, the Gauteng grandmother was among Zuma supporters who braved wet and chilly weather and toyi-toyied during the night vigil on Thursday and during his high court appearance on Friday.
Amid scenes of jubilation after the judgment, she said it had all been worthwhile.
"There was no way I was going to miss coming here. Enemies can paralyse my leg, but not coming here would have been like allowing them to paralyse Zuma. I am so happy, I cannot even feel the pain anymore," she said.
Among the oldest and most colourful of the Zuma supporters was 80-year-old Lina Zondi, of Mpendle in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.
Draped in a yellow ANC flag, a traditional Zulu beaded hat, red socks and izimbadada, sandals made out of tyres, the frail-looking Zondi put younger supporters to shame with her dance moves.
She said, "As the women of this land, we prayed for these charges to be wiped and today our prayers have been answered."
In the crowd there were also many school children who had skipped classes to see Zuma.
Pitso Mthembu, a school teacher from Sobantu, said if the judge's decision had gone otherwise, all hell would have broken loose.
"Someone would have died, but now everybody is relieved. Even the police are celebrating."
It seems fate was on Zuma's side before Judge Chris Nicholson granted the application to have the charges set aside, for now.
Blade Nzimande, the South African Communist Party general secretary, told the crowd after the ruling that he had sensed a Zuma victory.
"I just knew from the way the roosters crowed when I woke up at home in KwaDambuza that this was going to be a good day."
Nzimande gave the National Prosecuting Authority an ultimatum about possibly recharging Zuma.
"Judge Nicholson says we must not forget that the NPA has a right to recharge Zuma. Our job is to tell the NPA that it has one last chance to drop these charges."
Nzimande also launched a scathing attack on the media, more particularly on cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, saying the media's "campaign" to "malign" Zuma had been defeated.
Shapiro, better known as Zapiro, was roundly criticised for drawing a cartoon depicting Lady Justice being held down by ANC, Cosatu and SACP leaders, while a caricature of Zuma unbuttoned his pants.
More negative sentiment directed at the media dominated earlier activities.
During the night vigil and before the judge's ruling, marchers chanted call and response slogans with words such as, "Kill the reporter, Kill the drawer".
Addressing the crowd, Zuma thanked all who had rallied around him - including those who left prayers on his cellphone - while criticising President Thabo Mbeki, former National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka, former Minister of Minerals and Energy Penuell Maduna and others who had "abused their powers to remove me and render me unemployed".
But Zuma was cautious in his celebration. "I am not saying that this thing is over, but when I woke up at my ancestral home in kwaDakwadunuse, I picked up my fighting sticks and knew there was no defeat."