High court orders Zuma to pay costs for challenging Madonsela
South Africa's High Court ordered President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday to pay for an attempt to block an inquiry into claims of influence-peddling in his government, describing the lawsuit he filed as an abuse of the judicial process.
In the latest in a series of judicial blows to Zuma's scandal-tinged administration, High Court Judge President Dunstan Mlambo said Zuma should be held personally liable for the costs of the court challenge.
The judicial inquiry was recommended a year ago in a report by the Public Protector, the country's anti-graft agency, whose release Zuma had sought to block through the courts.
The president then filed another court application challenging the right of the report's author, former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, to call for the inquiry.
Ordering Zuma to pay the costs of that challenge, Mlambo said the president's conduct was "clearly objectionable ... and amounts to clear abuse of the judicial process."
It was not immediately clear if Zuma would appeal.
The report focused on allegations that Zuma's friends, the businessmen and brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, had influenced the appointment of ministers. Zuma and the Guptas have denied all accusations of wrongdoing.
The High Court is due to rule later on whether Zuma can be legally compelled by the Public Protector to set up the inquiry.
On Friday, the same court ruled that Zuma's appointment of a state prosecutor was not valid and should be set aside immediately. Zuma is appealing that ruling.
Comments
The
content
you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.
If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.
If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.
For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation