NPA rules in Zuma’s favour

President Jacob Zuma has been given the opportunity to make fresh representations to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on why he should not face corruption charges, but these cannot relate to issues that had been considered before.

This is the decision of National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams, who has been accused of protecting the president.

For the past decade, the NPA has been viewed as politically captured. It has also been accused of bias and selective prosecution.

The NPA on Friday, a week after the Supreme Court of Appeal’s judgment, announced that Abrahams had decided to give Zuma until November 30 to make his representations.

This is two weeks before the start of the ANC’s national elective conference where Zuma’s successor will be elected.

It is not clear what the new representations will be, but the Presidency has already indicated that Zuma will question KPMG’s forensic report on his affairs. The international auditing firm is facing a credibility crisis flowing from its work done for the Gupta family and the South African Revenue Service.

The DA has also been invited to make further representations to the NPA. Abrahams has given the Hawks until the end of November to revert to the NPA on the availability of witnesses.