THE Jacob Zuma Foundation on Tuesday pleaded with South Africans to donate money to help cover his mounting legal bills.
Zuma, who was jailed for contempt of court last month, has been fighting a protracted corruption case linked to an arms deal signed more than two decades ago, when he was Deputy President.
Four years ago, Zuma was ordered by a court to reimburse the state over R18 millions of rands that had been spent on his legal bills.
“Dear People of South Africa and the world. Please lend a helping hand,” the Jacob Zuma Foundation said in a tweet.
“We humbly request for donations support to help cover the legal fees of our patron.”
Zuma’s next court appearance, initially set for early August, was pushed back to September after Zuma was hospitalised days prior for an undisclosed illness.
Mzwanele Manyi, spokesperson for the foundation, said Zuma will not be able to pay all the costs out of his own pocket.
“You’d know that he’s been having all kinds of legal challenges in court spanning over many years. And the bills are mounting he’s getting all kinds of threating letter from creditors,” said Manyi.
“The Jacob Zuma Foundation has issued a tweet requesting South Africans and anybody else in the world to please lend a helping hand to help President Zuma with his legal fees.”
The State Attorney’s office told the High Court in Pretoria earlier this year that Zuma spent R18 million of taxpayer’s money fighting the arms deal-linked corruption case against him – money the state expects him to pay back.
The former president is currently in hospital and it’s not clear when he will return to the Estcourt Correctional Centre to continue serving his 15-month sentence for contempt of court.
The former president was sent to jail for defying a Constitutional Court order to cooperate with the state Capture inquiry.
- Inside Politics
