Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been dealt a significant legal setback. The Gauteng High Court has ordered him to personally repay R28.9 million, plus interest, for legal fees that were covered by the state for his long-running arms deal corruption case.
The case was brought by the Presidency and the State Attorney, who argued that Zuma had ignored formal demands to repay the money. Zuma had contended that the state was responsible for his legal costs, even for cases brought against him in his personal capacity. The court rejected this argument.
This ruling compounds a difficult month for Zuma and his MK party. In a separate matter, the Constitutional Court dismissed their urgent application to challenge President Cyril Ramaphosa. The apex court, in a unanimous ruling, found that Zuma and the MK party failed to adequately explain why they bypassed the High Court and brought the case directly to them.
In that challenge, Zuma and his party sought to invalidate a series of decisions by Ramaphosa, including the placement of the Minister of Police on special leave and the appointment of an acting minister. The court dismissed the application, stating their pleadings contained only broad allegations without a solid legal foundation to establish jurisdiction.
Zuma is scheduled to address the media on Thursday, presumably to respond to these twin legal defeats.