Jacob Zuma appears in South Africa court over corruption charges
Armed police lined the square outside court but Mr Zuma's appearance was brief and the case was adjourned for two months.
Friday 6 April 2018 09:50, UK
Former South African president Jacob Zuma has appeared in court to face charges of fraud, money laundering and racketeering.
The 16 charges against Zuma were recently reinstated and relate to a $2.5bn (£1.78bn) arms deal in the 1990s when he was deputy president.
He denies the charges and is challenging the decision to bring the case against him.
Zuma, 75, resigned in February on the orders of his party, the ANC, after a nine-year reign marked by controversy and scandal.
Flanked by security guards and wearing a dark suit, he smiled and waved at supporters as he arrived at the court in Durban.
Several thousand people had held an overnight vigil in support of the former leader in a nearby park and some had placards reading "Hands off Zuma".
Heavily armed police kept watch on the square outside the court as the hearing began.
The hearing last just a quarter of an hour before the judge agreed to adjourn the case until 8 June.
The charges centre on a 1990s deal to buy European military equipment to upgrade South Africa's armed forces.
It was surrounded by controversy from the start, with many questioning why the money was being spent when the country had pressing issues with education and health that needed funding.
In 2005, Zuma's former financial adviser was jailed for soliciting bribes for him from a French arms firm.
Charges were filed against Zuma, but put aside before he ran for president in 2009. They were reinstated in 2016 after a push by his political opponents.