Trial a money spinner for lawyers

I WATCHED some of the High Court proceedings in Pietermaritzburg the other day and was again struck by the impeccable decorum displayed by all parties involved. There was no argybargy, just good manners and mutual respect.

It was, needless to say, merely the latest episode in the on-again, offagain Jacob Zuma saga. The parties involved weighed up the pros and cons and Judge Piet Koen displayed the forbearance required of his position.

When all was said and done, a new trial date was agreed upon as being suitable to all and the matter adjourned for the umpteenth time.

I was struck by the large numbers of legal practitioners milling about, all of whom will be richly rewarded for this latest unproductive appearance.

The advocates and attorneys, like a flock of ravens in their swirling black gowns, must collectively be harvesting a very rich crop indeed, and I find myself wondering who is picking up the tab? Whatever else happens, however, there is one thing of which I am absolutely certain, and that is that Jacob Zuma will never stand trial, nor receive what many might regard as his just deserts.

For when the crucial day arrives, the country will be informed that Zuma has suffered another “medical emergency” and cannot attend.

And since he has the constitutional right to be present at his trial, the whole clumsy charade will lumber, creaking and groaning, into motion once more.

Another trial date will be set down – probably a year hence – and the lawyers and the judge will again address one another with impeccable decorum … and so on, ad nauseam.

There is no reason to doubt that others accused of high-level corruption will adopt similar tactics and also evade the justice that should be meted out to them.

One only has to look back at the shameful conduct of the parties involved, and that of the authorities, in the cases involving Schabir Shaik and Tony Yengeni to realise that the rules simply do not apply to certain individuals.

So why should anybody expect them to apply to the man once reverently referred to as “Number One”? JOHN GARDENER | Howick