The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has complied with the Supreme Court of Appeal's order to hand over the so-called [Jacob] Zuma "spy tapes", spokesperson Nathi Mncube said on Thursday.

"We have complied and we did come and lodge the documents," he told reporters outside the High Court in Pretoria.

Mncube said the NPA handed over a copy of the recordings and transcripts of the recordings.

A copy would be given to the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) legal representatives and the originals would stay at the high court.

Internal memoranda and representations made by President Jacob Zuma at the time the corruption charges against him were dropped would not be handed to the DA, but be given to Judge Noel Hurt in Cape Town by end of business on Thursday.

This followed the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling last week that within five days the NPA had to comply with a previous order, in an application brought by the DA, to release the tapes.

Zuma had opposed the move.

The recordings, internal memoranda, reports and minutes of meetings dealing with the contents of the recordings had to be provided.

The tapes, containing recorded phone conversations, allegedly reveal collusion between the former heads of the Directorate of Special Operations, the now defunct Scorpions, Leonard McCarthy, and the NPA's former head Bulelani Ngcuka, to manipulate the prosecutorial process before the African National Congress' (ANC's) Polokwane conference in 2007. Zuma was elected ANC president at the conference.

At the time, acting NPA boss Mokotedi Mpshe said they showed there was a political conspiracy against Zuma and so the case against him could not continue.

DA leader Helen Zille was at the court for the handover. She said there was a delay in the handover because Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba was studying the SCA judgment to make sure the order was complied with.