Court grants Zuma right to intervene and appeal state capture report
A full bench in the High Court in Pretoria has granted former President Jacob Zuma the right to intervene in the leave to appeal the state capture report case.
Zuma wants to leave to appeal the December 13th court judgment that ordered him to personally pay legal costs of reviewing Thuli Madonsela’s remedial action for the institution of the State Capture inquiry.
The EFF, DA, COPE, and UDM, as well as CASAC, opposed the application.
Advocate Dali Mpofu who was representing COPE and UDM argued that the presidency withdrew the appeal application and it was confirmed by the court on the 18th of April 2018.
Mpofu says the withdrawal ultimately ended the proceedings in the matter and that Zuma, therefore, did not have any legal basis to intervene in the court’s December ruling.
But senior council Muzi Skhakhane speaking on Zuma’s behalf told the court that following its December 13th ruling the former president launched an appeal application in his capacity as head of state.
He says the later political events were that Zuma ceased to be the head of state on the 14th of February 2018 and therefore the costs order should not extend beyond his term of office.
This court decision has now paved the way to argue the leave to appeal.