The former president will once again become embroiled in the state capture court saga
Former president Jacob Zuma has appointed lawyers to challenge a cost order worth an estimated R10-million in the state capture court case.
This latest reported appeal by Zuma will come in his personal capacity, after the Pretoria high court awarded the cost order when his bid, when he was still president, to have parts of the public protector’s ‘State of Capture’ report reviewed and set aside failed.
The presidency withdrew an appeal Zuma made in his capacity as president last year against the cost order, has said that it will not permit its lawyers to represent the former president.
“Take further notice that with regards to the appeal on the issue of the punitive costs‚ the current President is not liable in that the punitive costs were against the former President in his personal capacity and as such we do not purport to act on the former President’s behalf in this notice‚” Ramaphosa’s lawyers said, according to a TimesLive report.
Zuma has now hired a private attorney firm to appeal the matter in his personal capacity, TimesLive and EWN reported. The former president will once again become embroiled in the state capture court saga, as his lawyers told the publication that he “intends to bring relevant application/s to join or intervene in the matter as he is directly affected”.
The costs of this new legal team will not be paid for by the public purse, leaving Zuma to spend from his own pocket on the private firm in this matter. At the same time, he also faces corruption charges in relation to the arms deal at the Durban High Court, potentially adding further strain on his finances.
The former president has not yet made it clear how plans to fund these various challenges.