Former president Jacob Zuma, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison, is looking to testify as to why he should be acquitted of corruption without standing trial. This is according to Zuma’s lawyer, Bethuel Thusini, who recently submitted a last-minute application for his trial to be postponed, reports News24.
With South Africa currently battling its third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and Level 4 restrictions firmly in place, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Piet Koen has indicated that Zuma’s application for a “special plea” should be argued virtually.
However, both Thusini and the Jacob Zuma Foundation have objected to the idea, with the latter arguing that this violates the criminal procedure act (CPA) and the constitution, reports IOL. The reason behind the application for a trial postponement is to allow Zuma the opportunity to “attend and be present in court when the matter is heard, and most importantly, he wants (sic) to give evidence in relation to the matter to be tried under the plea raised in terms of section 106 (1) (h)”.
Zuma has often insisted that the NPA is too biased to prosecute him, and has listed this as one of the major reasons he should be acquitted. However, the NPA has countered, stating that the former president has largely been dealing with the courts.
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Picture: Cape Town ETC Gallery