President Jacob Zuma in Zambia yesterday. Photo by GCIS

Home » SA Court Rules Zuma Must Face Those Corruption Charges

SA Court Rules Zuma Must Face Those Corruption Charges

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has Friday morning rejected President Jacob Zuma’s appeal to challenge the 2016 North Gauteng High Court ruling, concerning the Spy Tapes saga, that set aside the decision to drop 783 corruption, fraud and racketeering charges eight and a half years ago. Opposition parties have welcomed the news. The EFF […]

By SAPeople
13-10-17 14:06
in News
President Jacob Zuma in Zambia yesterday. Photo by GCIS

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has Friday morning rejected President Jacob Zuma’s appeal to challenge the 2016 North Gauteng High Court ruling, concerning the Spy Tapes saga, that set aside the decision to drop 783 corruption, fraud and racketeering charges eight and a half years ago.

President Jacob Zuma in Zambia yesterday. Photo by GCIS

Opposition parties have welcomed the news.

The EFF said this means the NPA must immediately institute charges against Jacob Zuma. The DA said it would be sending a letter to the NPA’s Advocate Shaun Abrahams.

The EFF said: “The best way to restore the integrity of the NPA is to proceed and charge Zuma who must, in turn, step down from the highest office in the land.

“Zuma’s continued occupation of office undermines the ability to uphold the rule of law. Not only has he broken the constitution, he has done everything in his power to avoid facing corruption charges.

“He is the greatest living threat to democracy and respect for the rule of law. He must step down and face the full might of the law.”

The court found that the NPA’s decision to drop the 783 charges against Zuma was borne from undue political considerations and, therefore, irrational.

The DA said: “Today’s judgment is a win for justice, the rule of law, and for South Africa. Jacob Zuma will not defeat the ends of justice. The law applies to all, regardless of status.

“If the President is innocent, as he says he is, he should let a trial court decide on his innocence.”

The DA said Zuma needs to face the fact that he will face trial and not waste anymore of tax payer’s money “after almost a decade of ducking and diving, and squandering millions of rands of public money on his own legal fees.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane will be writing to the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv Shaun Abrahams, insisting that Jacob Zuma is served with an indictment and appears in court at the soonest available date.

“Adv Abrahams must commit to reinstating all 783 charges, and furnish the people of South Africa with a date by which these charges will be processed. Adv Abrahams must give us a response within 10 days. The charges have been formulated and the evidence is ready. We now await a trial date.”

Maimane says he suspects that President Zuma will want to make “fresh representations about why charges against him should be dropped”, and urgent the President to “stop wasting public funds” and accept the fact that he will stand trial for the 783 charges.

The DA said it believes these charges were dropped for political purposes: “a political solution needed to be found to drop charges against a person who was about to become President, and the Spy Tapes provided the convenient excuse that has now been set aside.”