Corruption trial of Jacob Zuma postponed to 9 September 2021

The trial of former president, Jacob Zuma has been postponed to 9 September by the Pietermaritzburg high court. Zuma faces charges of corruption, money laundering, racketeering and fraud, together with the French arms company, Thales, over a multi-billion arms deal.

Zuma, who was convicted in July for failing to attend a corruption enquiry, has launched legal action against state prosecutor, Billy Downer to be removed from the trial, citing bias to be the reason.

Zuma believes that the case is part of a smear campaign, and alleges that Downer is part of the conspiracy theory against him; hence, he wants him removed from the trial.

Zuma was expected to make his argument in court on Tuesday, but the trial has since been postponed to September, and part of this postponement is because Zuma has been hospitalized over a medical condition.  

A medical practitioner that will be appointed by the state will assess Zuma’s health, and will be expected to report the findings to the court.

 

Done by: Yandisa Qwabe