resign his seat in parliament. The ANC issued a statement later in the day accepting Zuma's resignation. Kaunda further explained that Zuma would stop his activities in parliament the next day and would write a letter to the speaker to inform her of his decision, clarifying that "the bottom line is that you won't see him [Zuma] in parliament again, at least not as a member". The ANC's statement read that it "respects the position taken by Deputy President Zuma to resign as a member of parliament". Zuma, in response to the ANC, said that "President Thabo Mbeki has taken a decision regarding my presence in government and cabinet. It is the president's prerogative to take such a decision, in the context of, and within his authority as the president of the republic in light of this decision. I have also offered to resign my seat in parliament not as an admission of guilt of any kind, but to make it easier for the ANC and government to function in parliament." According to the statement, Zuma planned to stay on as deputy president of the ANC. Cosatu immediately reacted negatively to Zuma's resignation, prompting protests and calls for Zuma to be reinstated, although they represented a minority of the South African public. Zuma was charged with corruption as a result of the trial, although he continued to enjoy support from leftist and Zulu elements of the ANC. His support did appear to decline significantly (but not entirely collapse) after being charged with an unrelated rape case late in 2005, which led to him suspending his activities within the ANC. Appeal Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Squires granted Shaik the right to an appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein against his fraud and one of his corruption convictions. After being granted his reprieve, Shaik told reporters in a press conference that he was grateful and intended to use the options made available to him. He concluded the press conference by stating that "obviously one would have liked to be victorious on all the charges, but we are in the legal process". Many reporters asked him if he would petition the Chief Justice to appeal the convictions that Judge Squires denied grounds of appeal, to which Shaik replied that his legal team was considering the matter. The National Prosecuting Authority, as represented by spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi in front of