“They hate me”: Jacob Zuma lashes out at courts in his fiery affidavit

Ahead of the resumption of Jacob Zuma’s corruption case next month, the defence team have filed their papers with the courts. Needless to say, words haven’t been minced and Msholozi has come equipped with a few conspiracy theories to throw towards the prosecution.

He and his lawyers have singled out Billy Downer, who will be arguing to convict Zuma on behalf of the state. In documents seen by TimesLive, Msholozi has outright come out and said that the advocate has “a hatred” of the former president, accusing Downer of trying to “gloss over” a multitude of contradictions in the NPA’s attempts to prosecute him.

“I believe Downer [ignored certain evidence] to magnify his deeply held belief that I should be prosecuted and convicted at all costs. It’s hard to appreciate how a prosecutor of his experience can ignore that my rights have grossly been violated by the NPA regardless of his obvious aversion towards me.”

Jacob Zuma

What Jacob Zuma in his affidavit

In his final affidavit submitted to the court on Monday, Jacob Zuma complained that his treatment here meant that he could not secure a fair trial. The ex-president also bemoaned the significant delays to the trial, which he feels is not legitimate as he’s already been put in the dock for this issue alongside Schabir Shaikh.

His long-term business partner was convicted for his role in the fiasco back in 2005, but the judge did not come to the same conclusion for the man who would go on to lead the ANC.

The NPA at first missed the deadline to submit their counter-arguments to the Pietermaritzburg High Court last month. They were eventually granted a week-long extension at the start of March.

Natasha Kara is a representative for the organisation. She said the prosecution had previously written to Zuma and arms firm Thales asking for a filing deadline extension. She blamed the “voluminous nature” of papers filed by the defence but confirmed the documents were sent-off during the extension period.

Corruption trial explained

The Jacob Zuma corruption trial will resume on Monday 20 May, and deliberations on how to proceed will last for four days. By Thursday 23 May, we will know if JZ must face prosecution for his role in the Thales scandal.

The illicit deal saw Jacob Zuma benefit from a monthly retainer offered by the French arms company. His role was to protect the best interests of the organisation in South Africa, allowing them to get ahead of the competition. It’s the dictionary definition of “corruption”, and if found guilty, Zuma could spend up to 15 years behind bars.