Jacob Zuma trial likely to spill into next year

FORMER president Jacob Zuma’s corruption, money laundering and racketeering case against could spill over into next year.

This emerged in the Pietermaritzburg High Court yesterday when the case resumed on a holding date, pending an application for reconsideration in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

Judge Piet Koen expressed his displeasure after learning from prosecutor Billy Downer that the office of SCA president, Justice Mandisa Maya, the only one who could handle the unique application before her, had yet to receive the papers pertaining to the case.

Judge Koen said such matters were often dealt with quickly.

“I was informed that the application was still on its way to the judge president. The reason for the delay is unclear to me, but it is not our mandate to interrogate that,” Downer said.

Judge Koen said the case was also prejudicial to co-accused French company, Thales, which had been ready for trial from the onset.

“We have got this reconsideration at the moment. Obviously if it’s granted we are in the SCA. If it is refused again there will be an appeal in the Constitutional Court. It has been said that such an application will follow. This will require a new holding date,” said Judge Koen.

The court learned that Zuma’s lawyer, advocate Dali Mpofu, was not in court. He sent a message requesting that a proposal to shift the case to August 15 be moved as he would not make it. He proposed a new date be August 22.

Judge Koen was not pleased with the request but said should Zuma’s application be thrown out at Justice Maya’s office, there would be a possible series of applications, including to the Constitutional Court. He instead postponed the matter to August 1.

“The adjournment is granted that if the application has been determined by August 1, 2022, and no application for leave of appeal to the Constitutional Court has been launched, the trial shall resume at 10am on August 15, 2022, and shall thereafter continue until September 16, 2022, and again from November 7, 2022, to December 2, 2022.

“If the trial is not ready to proceed by the holding date August 1, 2022, then a further holding date and date for the continuation of the trial shall be determined,” Judge Koen said.

Judge Koen added that should there be difficulty with the proposed dates, and the trial fell into the second term of 2023, counsel for the accused should alert him.