Testing
Preparations are well underway for the highly anticipated corruption trial of former president Jacob Zuma with the courts already planning for a scrum of interested parties likely to attend.
Zuma will face 16 charges relating to 783 payments allegedly received when he was still deputy president to influence the outcome of the multi-billion rand arms deal.
In a media statement released by the Office of the Chief Justice, members of the media, public and special interest groups will have to apply if they want to watch and report on the proceedings in person.
The hearing will be held on June 8 2018 in the Durban High Court. There are only 40 seats available, so in order to guarantee a place, individuals, interest groups and media houses have been asked to submit their requests for accreditation no later than June 4.
READ MORE: Zuma corruption case adjourned to June 8
Once accreditation has been granted, those attending the hearing have been asked to arrive 15 minutes before court proceedings and limit their movement while court is in session.
In addition, flash photography will not be allowed, and audio recording and “close-up photography of communications between clients and their legal representatives” has been banned in its entirety.
The statement also added that only two photographers — one local and one international — would be accredited to be inside the courtroom.
No branding will be allowed during the court proceedings, with the Office of the Chief Justice asking television and radio producers to strip their equipment of company logos.
Zuma is alleged to have received bribes from French arms maker Thint, via his erstwhile financial advisor Schabir Shaik. A representative from Thint is expected to appear in the dock alongside Zuma. The State has managed to narrow its list of witnesses to 207. These include SAPS members, audit firm KPMG, losing bidder in the arms deal Richard Young and a number of officials from the department of minerals.
Read the media advisory from the Office of the Chief Justice here: