South African ANC renegade Julius Malema was charged with money laundering yesterday in a corruption case his supporters say is part of a plot to silence President Jacob Zuma's most vocal critic.
The trial of Malema, who has backed wildcat miners' strikes and is pushing for nationalisation of the mines, is one of the biggest since apartheid ended and Nelson Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) took power in 1994.
Prosecutors at the provincial magistrates' court in Polokwane said Malema had "improperly received" 4.2 million rand (£317,798) in a conspiracy involving government tenders.
Malema scoffed at the charges after being bailed.
"I'm unshaken... I'll continue with the struggle for economic freedom," he told supporters, adding he would visit a platinum mine run by Impala to press for a wage strike there.
Scores of police deployed razor wire to block more than 1000 Malema supporters from approaching the court compound.
For his hearing, Malema ditched his trademark Che Guevara-style black beret and white T-shirt for a grey suit and white shirt. He emerged from the court smiling and shook hands with his supporters.
Ousted as leader of the ANC Youth League in April for ill-discipline, Malema has returned from the political wilderness in the past several weeks, stepping up criticism of Mr Zuma and the ANC hierarchy.
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