"The former president of RSA, HE JG Zuma welcomes the acceptance by the Constitutional Court on April 28, 2020, of his withdrawal of the application for leave to appeal," it said in a statement.

"This indeed paves the way for him to prepare for the trial."

Zuma turned to the Constitutional Court after the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed his application for leave to appeal, without going into his arguments, because it said he had no reasonable prospect of success.

He is due in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg on May 6 to face charges stemming from South Africa's controversial arms deal signed in the late 1990s.

The state alleges that he accepted a bribe from French arms manufacturer Thales for "political protection" during a probe of the deal.

Zuma's application to the Constitutional Court contended that the National Prosecuting Authority had been irrational in pursuing the charges, which date back to 2003.

He also submitted that the High Court had failed to interrogate the reasoning and decisions of the NPA.

Thales is also seeking to have the charges against it set aside on appeal.

African News Agency