Date for Zuma legal fees case confirmed

DA federal council chairperson James Selfe confirmed the review will be heard in the High Court in Pretoria on 6 and 7 November.

It was confirmed in March that the state has already spent at least R15.3 million on Mr Zuma's legal costs.

This figure is likely to be significantly higher as the amount is confined only to the litigation involving the DA.

President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier revealed that the agreement signed by Zuma under the Mbeki administration in 2006 formed the basis for the decision to continue the paying of Zuma’s legal fees in the spy tapes case.

Late in March the opposition party filled papers asking that the agreement between the Presidency and the former president be declared invalid and set aside.

Zuma appeared in court twice on charges on corruption, fraud and money laundering, both ending in a postponement.

Selfe says they have waited 10 years for him to appear and they will wait another 10 years if the court date is postponed to another date.

“This is very familiar tactics by President Zuma and his legal team to delay as far as possible the day in which he actually has to stand and defend himself against the charges, we have waited 10 years for this date  and we can wait another 10 years, he is not going to escape justice.”   

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema said earlier this year during a question and answer session with the President in parliament, that he believes the amount is more than the R15.3 million Ramaphosa mentioned.

"The amount you are pointing at, we don't think it that includes cases like the Nkandla case, cases like the Public Protector's (State of Capture) case. So, if you had to take almost all these cases that amount will not be accurate. Because in our own calculations, we are sitting at almost R64 million which has been paid for legal costs for the former president, the delinquent himself."