Jacob Zuma’s legal woes mount amid ConCourt loss

Former president Jacob Zuma. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

Former president Jacob Zuma. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

Published May 27, 2021

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Johannesburg - Former president Jacob Zuma’s legal woes are piling up after the Constitutional Court struck his latest case off its roll with costs.

Zuma was challenging the North Gauteng High Court ruling ordering him to personally pay the costs of his unsuccessful challenge to ex-public protector Thuli Madonsela’s state of capture report in December 2017.

In October last year, the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed Zuma's bid to overturn the high court order.

On Thursday, Acting Deputy Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe said: “This court grants the following order: The matter is struck off the roll with costs, such costs to include the costs of two counsels where employed.”

Zuma was not represented despite being the applicant in the matter, prompting lawyers representing the EFF, DA and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) to ask the apex court to struck the matter off the roll.

Joburg-based Kgoroeadira Mudau Inc, which Zuma appointed only in December, informed the apex court in April that it was withdrawing from representing the former president.

The law firm indicated that there was nothing acrimonious about its withdrawal from representing Zuma but would not say whether it was related to money due to attorney-client privilege.

Kameel Premhid, representing the EFF, said Zuma’s case was fatally defective.

”We collectively take the attitude that this application as it stands before the court today is fatally defective and that it should be struck off the roll with costs of two counsels where so employed,” he said.

Premhid continued: “We are in a strange situation where the applicant (Zuma) for leave to appeal has not complied with this court’s directives, no record of appeal has been filed and in consequence thereof no heads could have been submitted either by the applicant himself or certainly not by the respondents (EFF, DA and Casac)”.

DA advocate Michael Bishop told the court that his clients aligned themselves with Premhid’s submissions as there was no record and written arguments filed.

Bishop also asked the court to be struck off the roll with costs.

Ofentse Motlhasedi, representing Casac, said they have not been placed in a position to make oral or written submissions.

”The manner in which application has been brought before the court is defective and should be struck off the roll with costs of two counsels,” she argued.

Moray Hathorn, who appeared for former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor, said he intended to abide by the court’s decision.

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Political Bureau