In the ongoing legal saga surrounding former South African President Jacob Zuma, his legal team has recently submitted new papers to the Constitutional Court, asserting that their client is not attempting to evade his day in court.
The matter at hand began when the High Court in Pietermaritzburg overturned Zuma’s private prosecution of State Advocate Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan, deeming it an effort to further delay the criminal prosecution. Zuma is now seeking to appeal this decision, with Downer and Maughan having already obtained a special order to enforce it.
Despite the Supreme Court of Appeal’s rejection of Zuma’s bid to appeal the special order earlier this month, he continues his legal battle, taking it to the Constitutional Court. Zuma’s legal team refutes the notion that he is motivated by a desire to avoid facing charges in court. They also address the “Stalingrad” label attributed to Zuma’s legal approach, emphasizing that he should not be held responsible for all the comments made by his legal representatives. Zuma asserts that he did not instruct his former advocate, the late Kemp J Kemp, or his current legal team to engage in tactics solely aimed at delaying the prosecution in bad faith, considering these claims as baseless and biased.
As this legal drama unfolds, State Advocate Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan are scheduled for another appearance in the Pietermaritzburg High Court for the private prosecution case in the coming week. The court is still deliberating whether this appearance should proceed as scheduled.