Former president Jacob Zuma has appointed a new legal team to challenge the personal costs order awarded against him in the state capture matter, Eyewitness News (EWN) reported. This follows the announcement by the Presidency earlier this month that it will no longer fund Zuma's appeal against that order.
Zuma was slapped with a personal costs order of R10-million after his failed appeal against the recommendations of the Public Protector's state capture report. The Public Protector recommended that Zuma, then state president, appoint a commission of inquiry into state capture, but that the chair of the commission should be appointed by the Chief Justice.
Zuma aborted his appeal of that recommendation and was slapped with the personal costs order, which he wants to appeal.
But while the presidency will not pay for the appeal, it will pay the costs of withdrawing the appeal.
The matter was in court on Wednesday. According to The Citizen, the office of the president withdrew its application to appeal, and will now have to pay the costs of the opposing counsel – the DA and the EFF.
Advocate Dali Mpofu, for the EFF, reportedly said that Zuma, in his personal capacity, would now have to approach the Supreme Court of Appeal or the Constitutional Court if he wanted to proceed with the appeal.
eNCA reported that while the presidency had asked for the costs order to be made up until April 6, when Presidency Cyril Ramaphosa withdrew the presidency's intention to appeal, the court ordered that the order be made up until the present date.