Former president Jacob Zuma's foundation on Sunday night took another dig at the state, questioning whether it would ever be ready to go ahead with the corruption case against him.
This after the Jacob G Zuma Foundation complained of another “postponement” in the case — a claim that the National Prosecuting Authority rubbished as “exceedingly disingenuous”.
The case against Zuma and French company Thales was next expected in the Pietermaritzburg high court on Tuesday, February 23.
But in a strongly-worded statement on Sunday — in which several salvos were fired at the NPA — the Jacob G Zuma Foundation said the former president had been informed, without “any reason” being provided, that the state would be ready to proceed with the criminal case on May 17. This, the statement said, was an affront to Zuma's rights.
“While we as the foundation doubt the bona fides or readiness of the state to ever run this case, we hope our judiciary will not tolerate any further postponement beyond this date. While these postponements carry on, President Zuma’s rights [are] continuously violated and the narrative that he is guilty continues as the NPA’s propaganda. This is indeed unfortunate.
“We hope that the judiciary will not tolerate any further abuse of the process. Indeed, justice delayed is justice denied and this has been President Zuma’s lived reality and experience of the criminal justice system. We will continue to ask the judiciary to strike this case off until the State is really ready, rather than to parade President Zuma as a criminal. The taxpayers purse is wasted in the process,” the foundation said.