Cape Town - Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma, wife of former president Jacob Zuma, could consider filing a lawsuit against the state for accusations that she poisoned Zuma.
Ntuli-Zuma’s lawyer, Ulrich Roux, said he had advised Ntuli-Zuma to sue the State. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) declined to prosecute on the poisoning case against Zuma after it found there was no
evidence.
Roux said Ntuli-Zuma was treated badly after the accusations came out in 2015.
“I have advised my client to consider civil action against the NPA and the State. She was implicated in this alleged plot to kill Zuma without any evidence,” said Roux.
“There is a possible claim for damages for legal fees and for pain and suffering,” he said.
He said it had been four-and-a-half years since the allegations came out and there was no evidence linking his client to the murder
plot. He said Ntuli-Zuma had suffered tremendously with her children when the allegations emerged.
She had been forced out of the Nkandla home of the former president, said Roux.
The acting head of the NPA in KwaZulu-Natal, Elaine Zungu, said there was no case to prosecute.
Zuma had spoken out against a plot from foreign and local intelligence agencies to remove him from the scene. At the time the allegations emerged, Zuma was allegedly being treated in Russia.
Zuma’s lawyer Dan Mantsha and spokesperson Vukile Mathabela could not be reached for comment.
Zuma has been implicated by
various witnesses in the Zondo commission of inquiry into state
capture.
But he has denied all the allegations against him.
When he appeared before the commission, he accused some senior ANC politicians of being spies.
In a recent court battle, former minister of tourism Derek Hanekom successfully sued him for calling him a spy.
This was after EFF leader Julius Malema publicly said Hanekom had met his party to discuss the removal of Zuma last year.
Hanekom did not deny meeting the EFF and said politicians in Parliament met with each other from time to time.
The High Court in KwaZulu-Natal has still to determine the cost of the damages claim against Hanekom. But the former president appealed the court judgment.
Former minister of communications Siphiwe Nyanda is also suing Zuma for calling him a spy.