Former President, Jacob Zuma has been granted the right to personally intervene in the state capture litigation by the Pretoria High Court. This means he can now seek to appeal the R10-million personal costs order against him. However, he will still be required to pay the costs of his intervention application.
Judge President Dunstan Mlambo said the court would provide reasons for the ruling at a later stage.
Zuma’s Advocate, Thabani Masuku, on Thursday hit back at accusations that the former President was “litigious”, and was embarking on this latest appeal bid as a “delaying tactic”.
He further said that the court must decide the case on its merits, not on the basis that “he [Zuma] is a litigious person, or alleged litigious person who has been running around”
Advocate Dali Mpofu, arguing for the UDM and Cope, had argued earlier that the state capture case had been “killed” on April 18 when President Cyril Ramaphosa withdrew the Zuma’s appeal application.
“You can’t intervene in dead proceedings,” Mpofu argued, “You can’t breathe life into a dead body.”
Jacob Zuma had made an appeal against the ruling that confirmed former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s remedial action in her State of Capture report, specifically that Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng chose the judge who would preside over the State Capture Inquiry, rather than Zuma himself. Additionally, he wanted to challenge costs order granted against him.
Despite the High Court’s findings indicating that Zuma filed a suit without valid reason in the state capture cases, he has denied this. He believes that the High Court was punishing him for seeking to challenge Madonsela’s State of Capture report.
According to Zuma, being forced to pay the legal costs of the state capture cases “poses a significant financial burden on me personally”.
