Zuma vs Ramaphosa private prosecution case set for May

In December, former president Jacob Zuma issued a summons for his successor to appear in court on 19 January.

Zuma is charging the president for allegedly being an accessory after the fact in his case against state prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan.

On Monday, the full bench of the High Court in Johannesburg granted Ramaphosa an interdict to temporarily halt the private prosecution brought against him by his predecessor.  

READ: Ramaphosa granted urgent interdict pending Zuma court challenge

Zuma’s legal representative Dali Mpofu told Judge Ismail Mahomed, who presided over the hearing, that they have been instructed by their client to appeal Monday’s order.

“Our instructions that we have are to appeal the order that was given on Monday. Albeit that it's an interim order…we have not yet decided which court to approach.”

Mpofu added they have 15 days to decide on which court they will approach for the appeal

“If, as we are inclined to do, it goes directly to the Constitutional Court, then we will seek leave from that court. Of course, if we are to seek leave from the SCA [Supreme Court of Appeal] then we must seek leave from the court itself,” Mpofu said.

Speaking outside court, spokesperson for the Jacob Zuma Foundation Mzwanele Manyi said the former president - as the private prosecutor - was in court to ensure the case does not get struck off the roll.

“If the private prosecutor was not here, the case would have been invalidated by that technicality so the mere presence of him today has ensured that the criminal case is alive.”

Earlier Mpofu said while the president and his legal team may have interpreted the interdict to exempt him from appearing in court on Thursday, they hold a different view.

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