Zuma Corruption Charges: NPA must stop dragging its feet and set a trial date for Zuma 

12 July 2016

It has been 18 days since the North Gauteng High Court’s judgement and there has yet to be any action by the National Prosecuting Authority regarding the now re-instated 783 charges of corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering against President Jacob Zuma.

The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Shaun Abrahams, must now stop dragging his feet, respect the court of law, and set a court date for Jacob Zuma immediately.

That this hasn’t already happened is a cause for great concern. Jacob Zuma is not above the law. Like every other South African, he deserves his day in court, to answer for these very serious charges against him.

No doubt, as we have witnessed to date, the NPA and Jacob Zuma are waiting for the last possible opportunity to petition the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) directly, as his good friend Hlaudi Motsoeneng has done recently. 

This will mean that further public money, that should be rather spent on delivering better services and creating jobs, will be used to delay justice and put one man above the law. 

This is a case about corruption, a disease that eats away at the opportunities of our people and delays development. Jacob Zuma must be held accountable for this.

The DA maintains that in the absence of any legitimate factual or legal reasons, these charges were dropped to serve a political agenda. It would have been for President Zuma to argue that he was being prosecuted for malicious political reasons and for a competent court to decide on the merits of such representations. It was not for the NPA, acting at the President’s behest, to simply drop the charges without legal basis as confirmed by the High Court in June.

As such, NPA Head, Adv Shaun Abrahams, must desist with frivolous litigation and give the President his court date once and for all.

Issued by Mabine Seabe, Spokesperson to the DA Leader, 12 July 2016