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Euph oria set in as news filtered through to the thousands of delegates at the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) in Midrand on Wednesday of Jacob Zuma's court victory. Triggering the celebration was a two-word cellphone SMS from Pietermaritzburg to Cosatu: "Struck Off"

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi interrupted delegates singing to welcome Winnie Madikizela-Mandela with the news that ANC deputy president Zuma's corruption case had been struck off the roll in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

"Hold on, hold on, we are going to celebrate now until right into the evening," said Vavi.

"When we opened the congress we said we were smelling a victory.

"The judge in Pietermaritzburg has struck off that case against Jacob Zuma."

Congress erupted.

Delegates leapt onto chairs, screaming and shouting with joy.

Others hugged each other and danced around.

"This second round we've won. The third round - we'll get," said one jubilant delegate.

When the crowd had calmed down Madikizela-Mandela, still on the podium, announced: "God seems to hear our prayer."

Madikizela-Mandela, who turns 70 next Tuesday, was at the congress to receive an award honouring her lifelong commitment to workers.

The hall burst into Zuma's trademark song, "Awuleth'umshini wami" (Bring me my machine gun). The news followed a militant and well-received speech by SA Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande, who had strongly supported Zuma and Vavi.

Nzimande got such a rousing send-off by delegates that Vavi then banned the purple vuvuzelas from the rest of the conference.

"Comrades, this is not FNB stadium, this is a congress," Vavi told delegates.

"Our tradition is to sing in our congress."

Delegates have sung repeatedly to campaign for their favourites in the Cosatu leadership tussle, with groups moving in and out of the hall chanting for different leaders.

The congress heard from the Electoral Institute of SA that Vavi had been nominated unopposed for his post of general secretary, while Cosatu president Willie Madisha would have to fight an election against National Union of Mineworkers of SA (Numsa) delegate Zanoxolo Wayile.

Cosatu KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Sdumo Dlamini was the sole nominee or the vacant position of first deputy president. The rest of the incumbent Cosatu leadership was nominated unopposed for their existing positions: Violet Seboni as second deputy president, Alinah Rantsolase as treasurer, and Bheki Ntshalintshali as deputy general secretary.

No sooner than the nominations had been announced, than Numsa dissociated itself from Wayile's presidential bid.

Wayile was apparently nominated by the National Union of Mineworkers, the biggest in the federation. But Numsa said he had gone against a Numsa decision that he should only contest the vacant deputy president position.

The election is on Thursday.

At lunch time, Zimbabwean Council of Trade Unions president Lucia Matibenga showed a press conference attended by overseas union delegations her bruised body. She had been beaten up by police in Harare last week.

International unionists are organising a day of solidarity with Zimbabwean unionists on Friday.

After the excitement of the morning, delegates settled down to the hard work of discussing reports and debating resolutions on policy.

Many drifted outside, some signing a petition calling for the release of the Cuban Five, imprisoned in the US for infiltrating Miami-based groups opposing Cuba's President Fidel Castro. Others joined a long queue to sign a petition in support of Palestine, getting a free Boycott Israel T-shirt.

The congress ends on Thursday.

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