THE high court in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday again postponed a long-delayed corruption trial against former president Jacob Zuma to September 9 following his hospitalisation last week.
Zuma, whose jailing last month on a separate contempt of court matter led to a wave of looting and unrest, was expected to appear at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday into a $2 billion arms deal corruption case that led to his sacking as South Africa’s deputy president in 2005.
Zuma, 79, is serving a 15-month sentence at Estcourt prison in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal after he failed to heed a court order to attend an inquiry in corruption during his time as president. He was moved to a hospital on Friday for medical observation.
High Court Judge Piet Koen on Tuesday granted the postponement and also ordered that Zuma’s team produce a medical report by August 20.
Koen further directed that the State may appoint a doctor of its choice to examine Zuma to assess his ability to stand trial, and for that doctor to appear before the court to give evidence, if necessary.
The State said it would conduct its own medical assessment on Zuma.
Prosecutor Advocate Wim Trengove said the doctor’s letter is vague and doesn’t identify the medical condition Zuma is suffering from.
Advocate Dali Mpofu said Zuma’s lawyers are hoping for a “fuller medical report” on the former president’s health when the case resumes.
If that report gives a “red light” about his health, oral evidence will be heard, he says.
In the dock with French arms firm Thales, Zuma is facing charges of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion related to the arms deal from the 1990s.
In May he pleaded not guilty to the charges. Thales has also denied wrongdoing.
The matter is back in court on 9 September.
- Inside Politics
