By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider
The chickens have seemingly come home to roost for Former President Jacob Zuma as the Gauteng High Court made a ruling last week that the former President is ordered to pay R28,9 million in legal fees that he has accumulated, in a ruling made by Judge Anthony Millar.
The JG Zuma foundation have expressed sincere disappointment over this ruling made by the Gauteng High Court, as Zuma plans to fight for his constitutional rights as well as to seek justice from “fair-minded” courts that uphold the integrity of the South African constitution.
The court had ordered that interest is expected to be added on top of the owed amount that is due from Zuma which has projected to be in the millions, this is due to Zuma having to reimburse the state for funding his private lawsuits, and has been given 60 days to pay the amount in full.
The court has also ordered that if Zuma fails to fulfill his debt then all his assets including his home will have to be used in order to settle the debt as well as a portion of his pension fund. The JG Zuma Foundation released a statement expressing that the state is acting against the constitution by making him reimburse his legal fees.
“There can be no benefit where a citizen is now punished and made to pay for the state’s unconstitutional actions. The undeniable fact is that President Zuma derived no benefit whatsoever from the payments made by the state, which are now being claimed from him” the statement read.
The Foundation expressed that the state should have applied the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) instead of shifting the entire financial strain on one man.
“This approach reflects a concerning lack of balance and a failure to uphold the constitutional principles of fairness and accountability,” the statement said.
The Foundation also highlighted that section 172 of the constitution was not upheld by the state which is aimed at empowering grant orders that are just and equitable in regards to dealing with unconstitutional conduct.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) are the ones who suggested that interest be paid on top of the R28,9 million. “A judgement that holds a citizen financially responsible for the state’s unconstitutional conducts fails the most basic test of fairness and justice; the foundation remains confident that true justice will ultimately prevail, and that no should ever suffer for the unlawful conduct of the state” said the statement.