Jacob Zuma has acknowledged that he is running out of money, The Witness newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Its website cited an affidavit handed to the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday in which Zuma denounced the office of the state attorney.
This office was dragging its feet to provide financing for his legal fees, Zuma said.
The Presidency agreed earlier to pay a portion of Zuma’s legal fees in the corruption trial.
Zuma said he was unemployed and struggling to pay his legal representatives.
Earlier in the year, Zuma’s finances were reportedly in a poor state, and his rape trial was postponed because he could not pay his legal team.
Zuma has one junior and two senior advocates appearing for him in his corruption trial — the same legal team that handled his rape trial.
Zuma’s affidavit said the state attorney offered to provide an attorney to give instructions to specific junior and senior advocates.
This was ”unsatisfactory and unacceptable”, said Zuma.
The advocates the state attorney wanted to appoint ”didn’t include the advocates who have always handled my affairs in this trial”.
Calls to the state attorney’s office and the Presidency to resolve the matter had been fruitless, Zuma said.
The corruption trial in Pietermaritzburg was on Monday postponed to September 5. – Sapa