Pietermaritzburg – Judge Nkosinathi Chili has ordered that the corruption trial against former president Jacob Zuma and Thales (formerly Thomson-CSF) must begin without further delays.
Handing down his ruling on Thursday, 14 May 2026, in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, Judge Chili ruled that all parties approach the Registrar to agree on a suitable date for the trial to begin.
While the court found that the trial had taken an inordinate amount of time to begin, it did not find evidence that Zuma and Thales had effected a so-called Stalingrad approach to delay the matter.
Judge Chile said Zuma and Thales will have an opportunity to appeal any decision they may disagree with after the trial conclusion.
The court rejected further attempts to delay via appeals or interlocutory applications, ordering the matter to move forward to trial dates despite pending challenges.
The long-running corruption case against Zuma and French arms company Thales stems from the controversial 1999 Arms Deal.
Zuma faces charges including corruption, racketeering, money laundering, and multiple counts of fraud.
These relate to alleged bribes received around the time of the multi-billion rand defence procurement package.
Prosecutors allege Zuma received improper payments (including annual sums of around R500,000 facilitated via his associate Schabir Shaik) in exchange for protecting Thales from investigations and aiding its interests in the deal.
Shaik was convicted in 2005 of corruption related to payments to Zuma.
However, Zuma and Thales have pleaded not guilty, with the former president describing the case as a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
The case has dragged on for nearly two decades (charges originally filed around 2005), marked by numerous delays, appeals, and legal challenges—often described by the state as a “Stalingrad strategy” of attrition.
In June 2025, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Nkosinathi Chili dismissed Zuma and Thales’ application for a permanent stay of prosecution or acquittal (citing issues like delays and witness availability).
However, the corruption trial was unlucky to begin this year owing to a congested court roll.
