Cape Town – The daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, has expressed her disappointment after the Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed her father’s private prosecution of senior state advocate Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan.
The court ruled that Zuma cannot pursue further legal action or private prosecutions against Downer and Maughan, and he was ordered to pay their legal costs.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla called the ruling a “travesty of justice”.
“What A Travesty Of Justice… ZUMA LAWS!!!,” she tweeted.
What A Travesty Of Justice…
ZUMA LAWS!!!
— Dudu Zuma-Sambudla (@DZumaSambudla) June 7, 2023
Zuma, who served as president from 2009 to 2018 before being forced out over graft allegations, faces charges of corruption in an arms scandal dating to the late 1990s.
In one of numerous attempts to derail the proceedings, his lawyers had launched a private prosecution against prosecutor Downer and Maughan, accusing the former of having leaked confidential medical documents to the latter.
But on Wednesday, the High Court in Pietermaritzburg ordered the case to be set aside.
Zuma, 81, was told to pay legal costs and “interdicted” from further “pursuing any private prosecution… on substantially the same charges,” according to the judgement
The Jacob Zuma Foundation has said that they will appeal the decision.
“H.E President Zuma will appeal this bizarre judgment by the PMB HC as regards the private prosecution of Adv Downer and Karyn Maughan,” the foundation said.
H.E President Zuma will appeal this bizarre judgment by the PMB HC as regards the private prosecution of Adv Downer and Karyn Maughan.
— JGZuma Foundation (Official) (@JGZ_Foundation) June 7, 2023
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
Additional reporting by AFP
