Truth is an elusive concept, something that slips easily around a politician's tongue.

Truth is an elusive concept, something that slips easily around a politician's tongue.

Jacob Zuma appeared before the country yesterday to declare himself vindicated after charges of racketeering, money laundering, fraud and corruption against him were formally dropped.

Well, yes but mostly no.

The acting national director of public prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe made it abundantly clear when announcing that charges against his next boss would be dropped that the decision had nothing to do with the merits of the case.

Two courts have already found that a R500000-a-year bribe was organised for the man who will almost certainly be our next president to protect the interests of a corrupt French arms merchant.

So it makes no sense for Msholozi to declare as he did yesterday that "there never was a case against me".

Certain senior officials may well have fiddled with Zuma's case to boost their own political advantage. That claim must still be tested in a court of law.

But as Mpshe himself acknowledged, the prosecutors who worked diligently on Zuma's case for eight long years are above reproach. And they want the allegations tested in court. Until they are, we will never know if Mpshe sold us out.