While many feel a warrant of arrest issued against former president Jacob Zuma for not attending court was justified, support from his core ranks has also quickly rolled in.
Two of the most prominent are Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) member Carl Niehaus - who has long pledged his support for Zuma - and Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina.
Tweeting his support for Zuma, Niehaus said the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg was wrong in its ruling.
"The refusal by the High Court to accept the medical certificate presented by the lawyers of [Zuma] and issue a warrant of arrest is very disappointing and disturbing. The pain and humiliation inflicted on Nxamalala is heartbreaking. We as a nation should hang our heads in shame."
Masina said he was willing to "go to jail" for Zuma.
"Now that the justice has pronounced itself, I’m ready to go to jail for [Zuma]… since he is sick and currently receiving medical attention in Cuba and there is no one to blame. History has no blank pages, and indeed does have capacity to repeat itself."
The ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal also threw its weight behind the embattled former president, saying they would mobilise support following his warrant of arrest.
"The ANCYL will now embark on mobilising support for president Zuma. We will also mobilise society to stand up and defend president Zuma against the unwarranted attack on our hero," provincial secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo said on Thursday.
He said verifying Zuma's sick note could have easily been achieved in court.
"We condemn this act of the High Court with utmost disgust. We believe that it was within the means of the court to easily verify the authenticity of the sick note issued by the military doctor who is responsible for the health of the former president."
Sabelo said the ruling by Judge Dhaya Pillay in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday showed that Zuma would not get a fair trial.
Zuma has also received support from the ANCYL in Limpopo and the Western Cape.
Pillay on Tuesday issued a warrant of arrest for Zuma after he failed to turn up for proceedings, citing health concerns. However, a sick note signed by a military doctor did not leave her convinced after possible alterations on the form were noted.
She then issued a warrant of arrest for Zuma that will only be enforced if he fails to show up for his next court date on May 6. The warrant will fall away if Zuma makes his appearance.
"This warrant of arrest is a clear indication that former president Zuma will not get a fair trial. We have painfully observed for over a decade the persecution of the former president, on numerous occasions," said Sabelo.
He claimed the case was not in the best interests of the public, adding: "[His] rights have been trampled upon as the case of the recent warrant of arrest with its aim to only humiliate the former president."