President Cyril Ramaphosa will square up to predecessor Jacob Zuma in the Johannesburg high court this week when the president seeks an order to review and set aside his private prosecution by Zuma.
In December 2022, Zuma instituted a private prosecution in Pietermaritzburg in which he charged prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan with breaches of the National Prosecuting Authority Act, based on Downer giving Maughan a copy of a report on Zuma’s medical condition that was later disclosed in court proceedings.
Zuma then charged Ramaphosa as accessory after the fact, saying the president failed to act after he asked him to investigate Downer’s conduct.
Ramaphosa has already obtained an interim interdict against Zuma, preventing any further steps in the prosecution, and is seeking to make the interdict permanent, putting an end to the prosecution that he says is doomed to fail and has an ulterior purpose.
Business Day reported in April that according to papers filed in the Johannesburg high court in April, Zuma said he had made out a “sufficient prima facie case” for his private prosecution of Ramaphosa, “which is all that is required at this stage”.
Zuma disputed Ramaphosa’s claim that he could not prove the crime of accessory after the fact or defeating the ends of justice against Ramaphosa. “Pursuing a private criminal prosecution in those circumstances is frivolous and vexatious,” Ramaphosa said in his earlier affidavit.
But Zuma insists he has “a right to obtain criminal justice in respect of the offences committed by the accused”.
The hearing will be on Wednesday and Thursday at the Johannesburg high court by a full bench of three judges with judge Selby Baqwa presiding.
The Jacob Zuma Foundation said the charge against Ramaphosa was serious and carries a “maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment”.
It will be a busy week in parliament with several ministers — including mineral resources & energy, water & sanitation, public service & administration, small business development, transport, communications, home affairs, basic education and the National Treasury — presenting their budgets from Tuesday to Friday.
On Tuesday, parliament’s portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture will be briefed by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee and the SA Golf Association on their 2023/24 annual performance plan and on progress made in implementing the “transformation charter with a focus on the 2023 Nedbank Golf Challenge”.
The portfolio committee on basic education will be briefed by the department of basic education on the national school nutrition programme and pupil transport policy, among other issues.
On Wednesday, the standing committee on public accounts meets public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan on allegations by former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter of corruption, theft, maladministration, sabotage, lack of consequence management, cartels and other financial irregularities at Eskom.
On Thursday, the SA Navy will brief the joint standing committee on defence on its expenditure plans, contracting details and time frames for the repair and maintenance of frigates and submarines.
On Friday, the secretary of parliament will brief members of the National Assembly on organisational restructuring and the filling of critical vacancies, as well as parliament’s 2023/24 budget.
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