Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in a much-postponed corruption case dating back more than two decades. The 79-year-old faces 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to a 1999 purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military gear from five European arms firms for 30 billion rand, then the equivalent of nearly $5 billion.