No 1 to accused No 1
ZUMA: A QUICK ‘PRAYER’ AND THE FORMER PRESIDENT IS READY IN DOCK
Support even in court as members in the gallery softly chant his name. Durban
There was little of Jacob Zuma’s usual swagger as he entered the accused’s box with furrowed brow ahead of proceedings in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on charges of corruption, racketeering, fraud and corruption yesterday.
With members of the gallery softly chanting “Zuma, Zuma, Zuma”, he took his seat as accused number one next to Thales representative Christine Guerrier (accused number two).
Zuma clasped his hands briefly before his face as if in a short prayer and then sat with furrowed brow, characteristically licking his lips for the rest of the proceedings.
Yesterday was the first time prosecutor advocate Billy Downer had stepped into courtroom A since convicting Schabir Shaik of fraud in 2005, and was raring to go. “My Lord, this is in essence the continuance of a case which was placed on this court’s roll in 2009, and which was withdrawn or discontinued by the NPA,” Downer told Justice Themba Sihle.
Downer noted it was following two court judgments the matter was placed back on the roll and stated the defence had agreed to a postponement until June 5.
The postponement was for the state to provide copies of the docket to the defence, so the defence could bring a review application concerning the decision to prosecute Zuma again.
Downer said the review application should be completed by May 15 and added Thales also would be making representations, to which the NPA had agreed.
“My Lord, in essence the state is ready to proceed to trial,” said Downer and dropped a mini-bombshell when he announced to the court a provisional trial date of November 12.
However, advocate Hoosen Gani, standing in for Kemp J Kemp, wasn’t keen on the idea of a trial date and said he didn’t agree to any subsequent dates beyond June.
“There will be an application to challenge the legitimacy of the prosecution,” Gani said, giving an indication of how the trial – if it it ever got off the ground – would proceed. –
In essence the state is ready to proceed to trial