Johannesburg - The Economic Freedom Fighters on Wednesday welcomed the dismissal of President Jacob Zuma's application to review former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's State Capture report.
The North High Court, Pretoria, on Wednesday rejected Zuma's bid to have the report that found widespread impropriety by his son Duduzane and friends, the controversial Gupta family and several bosses of state-owned entities and Cabinet reviewed.
"None of the grounds of review have any merit," Judge President Dunstan Mlambo said.
The court had earlier on also held Zuma personally held liable for the costs of his court bid to interdict the release of the report.
Mlambo also directed to appoint a commission of inquiry headed by a judge chosen by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng within 30 days.
EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the party welcomed the high court's judgement as a victory of accountability.
ALSO READ: #StateCapture: Court rules Zuma must appoint inquiry
"[This is] because many public representatives use public resources to defend personal interests and not those of the state or the public.
"The important lesson the court is teaching is that public representatives must always distinguish between personal and public interests. This separation becomes blurred when those who rule are either dictators or corrupt individuals seeking to protect or defend wrongdoing by using taxpayers' money to engage in expensive litigation."
Ndlozi said that Zuma was one such individual who has used taxpayers money to defend personal wrongdoing, adding that the president "engaged in expensive litigation not to defend public interest or even state interest, but personal [interests]".
"This was so in matters like that of Nkandla where he used taxpayers money to challenge Public Protectors remedial action that he must personally pay back the money inappropriately used to build him a mansion," he said.
The EFF called on Zuma to immediately comply with the directive of the court and personally pay all the costs of the litigation.
"He must waste no time and no single taxpayers' cent to appeal a clear and cogent judgment."