Johannesburg – The matter between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his predecessor Jacob Zuma is back in court today, Wednesday (17 May 2023).
President Ramaphosa is seeking a final interdict to put an end to former president Zuma’s private prosecution.
The Gauteng Division of the High Court, Johannesburg, will hear the matter.
Former president Zuma criminally charged President Ramaphosa as an “accessory after the fact” in his private prosecution case against Advocate Billy Downer and News24 Journalist Karyn Maughan.
The 81-year-old former president accuses Downer and Maughan of leaking his medical information to the media and defeating the ends of justice.
Former president Zuma also accuses President Ramaphosa of being an “accessory after the fact” to the crime of leaking his medical records.
Former president Zuma contends that President Ramaphosa did not investigate a complaint about the alleged leak of his medical information.
However, President Ramaphosa says he referred the complaint to Justice Minister Ronald Lamola.
President Ramaphosa wants the court to set aside the prosecution as unconstitutional and unlawful, and to prevent any “further steps” in pursuing the prosecution.
Earlier this year in January, Deputy Judge-President Roland Sutherland ruled that: “Pending the final determination of part B [of the application] the first respondent [Zuma] is interdicted from taking any further steps to give effect to the nolle prosequi certificate of 21 November 2022 and 6 June 2022, and the summons issued by the registrar on 15 and 21 December 2022 or to pursue the private prosecution under case number 59772 of 2022 against the applicant in any way”.
