From VBS to Gigaba - The DA has had a busy year in court

South Africa's leading opposition party is known for going to great lengths to keep the ruling party in check.

From legal bids to public protector investigations, the Democratic Alliance has taken numerous politicians to task to hold them accountable. Here are five times the DA headed to court in 2018.

1. Jacob Zuma

The North Gauteng High Court this month ordered that Jacob Zuma should pay for his own legal fees for his corruption trial.

This was after the DA went to court to prevent Zuma from using state funds to cover his legal costs. The application was filed by the DA, EFF and other members of the opposition to declare that the state would not be liable for Zuma's legal fees.

The court also ordered Zuma to pay the DA's legal costs.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane said they would now be challenging the government's funding of Zuma's fees at the Zondo inquiry into state capture.

2. Malusi Gigaba

The opposition laid charges of perjury against the former home affairs minister after the North Gauteng High Court found that he had lied under oath and violated the constitution regarding the Fireblade Aviation saga.

The public protector found that Gigaba had lied under oath and violated the executive ethics code after the matter was brought forward by DA MP John Steenhuisen.

3. Bathabile Dlamini

The DA launched a legal bid to get President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Bathabile Dlamini from the cabinet on the grounds that keeping her was legally indefensible after she failed to disclose information to the inquiry on the Sassa social grants debacle.

It also wants the minister of women to pay for the legal costs to challenge this bid from her own pocket.

"It is irrational to appoint manifestly unsuitable persons to the cabinet. It is equally irrational to retain such persons in cabinet‚ especially when the Constitutional Court and the North Gauteng High Court have made the pronouncements that they have. We contend that both Gigaba and Dlamini are therefore unfit to hold executive office and must be removed," said Maimane.  

The DA filed this application after the court found Dlamini to have lied under oath. In September the Constitutional Court made a judgement that Dlamini should be referred to the director of public prosecutions.

Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane said the NPA should decide if Dlamini should be charged for perjury.

The DA is also asking the court to mandate Ramaphosa to cover the opposition's legal costs for the bid.

4. Mduduzi Manana

The DA laid charges of extortion and corruption against ANC MP Mduduzi Manana after a voice clip of Manana trying to extort his former domestic worker, Zimbabwean Christine Wiro, was released.

Wiro accused Manana of assaulting her and pushing her while walking down stairs.

In the voice clip it is alleged that Manana offered Wiro R100,000 to drop assault charges. "Manana clearly abused his privileged position and subjected Ms Wiro to financial pressure to avoid further prosecution. We welcome the South African Police Service and National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to continue pursuing the charges against him‚" said the DA.

Manana resigned as deputy minister of higher education and training after a video of him assaulting another woman in a nightclub was released in 2017.

5. VBS Bank

The DA laid charges against 50 people implicated in looting VBS Bank of R2bn. DA MP Solly Malatsi said some of the implicated people had ties to the ANC and the EFF, including EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu's brother Brian and former president Jacob Zuma.

This was after the Reserve Bank released a forensic report into the collapse of VBS Bank.

DA MP Kevin Mileham opened a case against EFF leader Julius Malema and Shivambu in connection with the VBS looting.