The African National Congress' National Executive Committee will review the issue at its first meeting since Zuma was elected party leader last month, said the ANC's spokesman.

"I don't know how big or small an issue (it) is ... but it is on the agenda," said Tiyani Rikhotso.

Zuma, who beat state President Thabo Mbeki in the ANC leadership race, faces charges of corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering, and will stand trial in August.

Prosecuting Zuma could further divide the ANC and hurt his chances of succeeding Mbeki, who must step down in 2009.

The prospect of Zuma going to prison, or the case overlapping with the 2009 general election, could put the ANC in an awkward position. There has been talk of the party seeking an alternative candidate to Zuma, who has said he would only step down if a court finds him guilty.

The ANC enjoys a massive electoral majority, leaving its candidate a shoo-in for the presidency. But the charges made against Zuma have created deep political uncertainty in Africa's biggest economy, raising concerns among investors.

Zuma has urged his supporters, angered by the corruption charges, to avoid the kind of violence that has exploded in Kenya. They say the charges are politically motivated in a relentless campaign by opponents designed to ruin him.

"We don't want to have the kind of thing we are seeing in Kenya," The Sunday Independent quoted him as saying on Friday after meeting with top ANC officials.

Kenya has been swept by tribal clashes since a December 27 election the opposition says was rigged. At least 300 people have died in the violence.

"On no account should there be any violence or burning of property, or anything like that, because of these charges against me," the newspaper quoted Zuma as saying.

"I know why people are so angry on my behalf. But there are other ways, legal ways, with which to deal with such matters."

The one-million-strong Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has refused to rule out mass protests following the decision by prosecutors ordering Zuma to stand trial.

Underscoring fears over political tensions, former Constitutional Court President Arthur Chaskalson, and prominent lawyer George Bizos, who defended Nelson Mandela in his apartheid-era treason trial, called on political leaders, commentators and the media to leave the case to the courts.

"Putting pressure on the courts by making serious allegations of partiality, uttering threats of massive demonstrations, and expressing opinions in intemperate language are harmful to the judicial process, to our constitutional democracy, and to our country's reputation," they said in a statement.