Prosecutors to oppose Zuma's special plea application
Prosecutors say they'll vigorously oppose former president Jacob Zuma's special plea application when his corruption trial resumes on Tuesday morning.
If granted, it could lead to State Prosecutor Billy Downer recusing himself from the case.
The matter is scheduled to be heard over two days.
But whether it will proceed is unclear, at this point, as the former president's been unwell in hospital.
The court is expected to hear medical evidence in a postponement application.
"We are expecting in terms of the court order of 9 September that the matter will proceed in so far as the special plea is concerned, which we will vigorously oppose because we believe there is no merit to that," says NPA's Mthunzi Mhaga.
"If there will be any postponements, you know the judge had indicated that there should be evidence lead to that effect. We are hoping that none of that will happen; we'll proceed with the special plea."
Just in: National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Arthur Fraser has arrived at the Pietermaritzburg Court. @ECR_Newswatch Fraser granted #Zuma medical parole after he served a fraction of his 15 month imprisonment sentence. pic.twitter.com/zfn54cnpoh
— Nushera Soodyal (@nushera) September 21, 2021
He says there's no indication at the moment whether Zuma will be present in court or whether he is still hospitalised.
The former president's accused of having taken bribes from French defence giant Thales for the purchase of arms in the 1990s.
On Monday night, Zuma said that South Africa was becoming a "constitutional dictatorship" after the Constitutional Court upheld its decision to jail him for contempt.
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