After all of the machinations and missed deadlines and bureaucratic holdups, Jacob Zuma's corruption trial date has been set for August. The timing of this could not bode worse either for justice or for South African politics. Despite the very real political threat from the Congress of the people (COPE) the reality is that the African National Congress (ANC) will likely win the elections handily, even if by a much smaller margin than at any time since 1994, and so Jacob Zuma will almost certainly be President when the case convenes. What an utter nightmare that will be even if Zuma is found innocent. Never mind, for the moment, what it will mean if he is convicted.