Pietermaritzburg gears up for Zuma court appearance
Former president Jacob Zuma will be back in the dock on Friday.
The former head of state is expected to appear in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg on 16 charges of fraud and corruption relating to his alleged involvement in the controversial arms deal.
Zuma will be represented by a new legal team which includes former Denel chair Daniel Mantsha, a known associate of the Gupta family.
This after Zuma decided to axe his long-time attorney, Michael Hulley, after his last court appearance in Durban in June.
The new legal team may reveal a new legal strategy. It could also be used as a reason why he is not ready to go to trial in November.
The issue of funding has been cleared up since his last court appearance, with state saying it will continue paying for Zuma's defence pending an application by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
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The two parties have separately asked the court to stop the state's funding of Zuma's defence.
At his most recent court appearance in Durban, the former president indicated he would lodge an application for a review of the decision by the national director of public prosecutions to charge him.
The state has already indicated that it is ready to go to trial in November but should Zuma's new legal team stick to the "Stalingrad defence", by deploying every possible legal diversion to stop his prosecution, the start of the trial could be some way off yet.
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Zuma's co-accused, French arms manufacturer Thint (Thales), will be in the dock with Zuma after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has turned down representations to halt the corruption case against the company.
The company has been given permission by the court to skip Friday's court proceedings, as it will only be a holding date, and the company's representative Christine Guerrier does not reside in South Africa.