Pretoria - The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday reached an agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and President Jacob Zuma as to when they should file their answering affidavits in the DA’s proposed application to review the dropping of charges against Zuma.
Judge Neil Tuchten in the High Court in Pretoria made the agreement an order of court. He, however, denied the DA permission to approach the Judge President to expatriate the date as to when the main application should be heard.
The judge said the parties can approach Judge President Dunstan Mlambo for a preferential date themselves if they felt the need to do so.
In terms of the agreement handed to court on Friday, the NPA must file their opposing papers by March 30, while Zuma must file his papers by April 30. The DA has to file its answers to this by June 30.
The DA headed to court as the respondents time and again failed to file their response to the DA’s application in which it will ask the court to review and set aside the 2009 decision by the NPA to drop charges against Zuma.
DA spokesman Marius Redelinghuys on Friday said it was important for them to head to court to determine a timeline. “If the respondents do not adhere to the time frames, they will be held in contempt of court,” he said.
The DA last year obtained the spy tapes following a lengthy legal battle. The Supreme Court of Appeal eventually ruled that the tapes should be handed over.
After studying the tapes, the DA felt charges should be reinstated.
Charges were withdrawn shortly before the ANC’s Polokwane conference, where Zuma was elected as ANC president.
Pretoria News