Circumstances 'not compelling enough' for appeal – Judge to Zuma
7 November 2019
Former president Jacob Zuma's application for leave to appeal former minister Derek Hanekom's lawsuit against him was not compelling enough, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Dhaya Pillay said on Thursday.
"Mr Zuma does not invoke compelling circumstances or any other provisions to grant this application. He has to convince this court that his prospects of appeal are not remote [and] have a realistic chance of succeeding."
Judge Pillay, who was delivering judgment after hearing arguments on Tuesday, said that, at its core, the case was about determining the interpretation of Zuma's tweet.
"All other grounds of appeal are peripheral to this central question. Mr Zuma accepts that the tweet is open to several interpretations. If it was unambiguous, the parties would not have sought the court's opinion."