PIETERMARITZBURG, South Africa — Cheered by thousands of supporters, South Africa’s presidential front-runner stood in court yesterday to begin his attempt to have corruption charges against him dropped.

The leader of the ANC, Jacob Zuma, is accused of benefiting to the tune of almost $600,000 from his relationship with his financial adviser, Schabir Shaik.

Mr. Shaik is serving a 15-year sentence for soliciting a $70,000 annual bribe for him from Thint, a French arms company that was bidding for a multi-billion-pound arms deal in the 1990s.

After the hearing, Mr. Zuma, who denies the 16 charges of corruption, fraud, money laundering, and racketeering, stood in front of 3,000 supporters outside the courtroom in Pietermaritzburg. He regaled them with a rendition of his campaign song, Umshini Wami, or Bring Me My Machine Gun. The allegations have been circulating for more than seven years and with Mr. Zuma the clear favorite to win next year’s elections, they are effectively the only thing standing between him and the presidency.

The case, which at one point was dropped on technicalities, is now being viewed as a test of the rule of law in South Africa. Opponents say Mr. Zuma’s supporters are trying to intimidate the judiciary.

“The judiciary must be very clear and relieve our president,” a provincial trade union official who took part in an all-night vigil at the court, Mchoko Mbambo, said. “This is a political case. They are trying to stop him becoming president of this country.”