Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Zuma’s day in court
appeared in the dock in the Durban High Court, to be told by Judge Themba Sishi that his case would be postponed to June.
This after Zuma said he would challenge the decision of National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Shaun Abrahams to reinstate charges against him.
“These charges have been reinstated for political reasons.
“Opposition parties, because of their serious lack of politics, don’t know how to win debates in Parliament and they are using courts to drive their agenda,” he said.
“For more than 10 years they have been saying ‘we want this case reinstated’.”
Zuma’s legal team will be mak- ing representations to the NPA – this will be their third attempt.
The first time was in 2009 and his application was dismissed.
Then he tried again with Abrahams, who decided last month to reinstate charges.
Defence advocate Mannie Witz said Zuma would have to argue that certain irregularities took place that influenced the decision.
This decision could be appealed. “We could be in for the long haul,” he said.
Legal expert Paul Hoffman said Zuma and his legal team would try anything to “duck, dive, delay and defect” the case so that he may never be asked to plead to the charges. Following the postponement yesterday, Hoffman said that given the track record of Zuma’s legal team, he foresaw they would lodge a review proceeding in respect of the decision not to uphold the representations made by Zuma.
“They will appeal that if they lose.
“Then they will appeal that