IT WAS a dark day for President Jacob Zuma – not only was the damning public protector report published, but he may also have to dig into his own pocket to foot the legal bill for his now aborted bid to gag it.
According to a senior advocate who was part of the proceedings, this bill could run to more than R3 million.
While ordering that the dreaded report had to be placed in the public domain, the high court in Pretoria was also considering whether to hold the president personally liable for the legal fees of all the parties involved.
The court has already slapped the Zuma camp with a punitive costs order – far higher than a normal costs order – but it was yet to be decided whether the taxpayer or Zuma would carry the costs.
This issue was postponed indefinitely and Zuma was given seven days to deliver submissions to the court on why he should not be held personally accountable for the legal bill.
Zuma made use of the State Advocate’s Office in instituting his legal proceedings.
The taxpayer pays the legal fees incurred for work done by the State Attorney’s Office.
But opposition parties steadfastly put their foot down soon after the president’s legal team announced at the start of the proceedings that he was withdrawing his urgent court bid.
This surprise move followed shortly after Zuma’s team was due to kick off proceedings by arguing why the state capture report had to remain under wraps.
It was not clear why the Zuma camp dropped their application, but it would have faced five sets of lawyers who all called for the release of the report.
While withdrawing the application, Zuma’s leading advocate, Anthea Platt, said he tendered the costs of the application.
If the opposition parties did not vehemently argue that Zuma had to pay up personally, the taxpayer would have once again paid for Zuma’s litigation.
Advocates Dali Mpofu and Dumisa Ntsebeza both said Zuma should not once again get away with running to court with his own personal issues and then expect the taxpayer to foot the bill. They were adamant that he had to own up and pay himself.
“The time has come for the president to accept liability in the multiplicity of legal actions in which he is involved and has been for the past few years,” Ntsebeza said.