This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Jacob Zuma, the South African president, is going to court to argue that a painting that depicted him with an exposed penis should be banned.

Zuma's governing African National Congress (ANC) is bringing a legal action against the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg over the work, entitled The Spear, by artist Brett Murray.

The case is due to go before a full bench of judges on Thursday, despite the painting having been defaced by two men earlier in the week and subsequently removed from the gallery.

The ANC has urged "all South Africans" to join Zuma, his family, the ANC and its alliance partners at the South Gauteng high court because "of the outrageous depiction of the president in the so-called art by Brett Murray and the Goodman Gallery."

Jackson Mthembu, the party's national spokesman, said: "We call upon all South Africans to support this noble course and to demonstrate rejection to this act of indecency, vulgar and disrespect of the constitution of our country and the values it stands for.

"Let us all unite against those seeking to undermine our hard-won democracy and our democratic institutions, but above all, the people of South Africa."

He added: "The ANC extends its appreciation for public support and messages received from various organisations and individuals, both black and white, on this matter. This form of unison is a sign of condemnation by all South Africans to the so so-called craft."

The ANC is also seeking to force the City Press newspaper to remove a photograph of the painting from its website.Lawyers for the Goodman Gallery and City Press will argue that The Spear cannot be banned because the South African constitution protects the right to artistic expression.

In a legal affidavit, Murray argues the work "is an attempt at humorous satire of political power and patriarchy within the context of other artworks in the exhibition and within the broader context of SA discourse."

He says: "I never intended the artwork to cause any hurt or to harm the dignity of any person."

Murray adds that during the apartheid years he created satirical images which attacked abuses of power: "For many years I have used, and continue to use, symbols with sexual connotations representative of political power and patriarchy."

He is supported by several leading South African artists including William Kentridge.