Former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor has welcomed today's unanimous judgment by the full bench of the Pretoria High Court which ordered that the President should personally pay the costs of his application to interdict the Public Protector's "State of Capture" report.
The High Court found that the President’s conduct during the litigation amounted to an abuse of judicial process‚ which requires more than an ordinary punitive costs order. The court found that the taxpayer cannot be burdened with paying the costs of the unreasonable and unnecessary litigation‚ Mentor said in a statement summarising the judgment‚ issued by her lawyers‚ Webber Wentzel attorneys.
The court found that Zuma's application was based on self-created urgency and that his overall conduct was unreasonable. The President was found to be personally liable for the costs of the litigation on an attorney-client-scale. The costs of the litigation are to be calculated from 14 October 2016.
"Ms Mentor thanks the courts for remaining a voice of reason and a beacon of hope to our people."
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