Jacob Zuma Insists on Court Appearance of Prosecutor Billy Downer and Journalist Karyn Maughan

Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s former president, remains steadfast in his demand for state prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan to appear in court. The expected appearance is set for an upcoming hearing in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday this week.

Present rulings made by eight judges both from KwaZulu-Natal and the Supreme Court of Appeal have branded Zuma’s private prosecution as an excessive and baseless affair. Despite the legal opposition and countless appeals to higher courts, Zuma remains undeterred.

Following Zuma’s latest SCA defeat, the legal representatives of Downer and Maughan reached out to KwaZulu-Natal judge president Thoba Poyo-Dlwati. These efforts were an attempt to administratively intervene and dismiss the necessity of a court appearance before judge Nkosinathi Chili on November 1.

However, Zuma’s legal team had a different perspective, stating that an appeal against the SCA ruling was currently pending in the Constitutional Court before a specific judge. They insisted that due proceedings ought to be respectfully preserved within the courtroom, and that all accused individuals should be equitably treated.

Last week, Zuma applied for Downer’s removal as the leading prosecutor. The hearing was presided over by judge Chili, who is also the trial judge for Zuma’s arms-deal associated trial. After providing their submissions, Judge Chili suggested reaching some agreement to remove the private prosecution from the roll before November 1. Nevertheless, Zuma’s advocate, Dali Mpofu, said he would need to confirm whether his client was interested in extending what Chili dubbed an “olive branch”.

In a latest update, Mzwanele Manyi, a spokesperson for the JG Zuma Foundation confirmed that Downer and Maughan were warned to appear in court during their last court appearance.

Zuma’s ongoing allegations against Downer and Maughan suggest a breach of the NPA Act where Downer reportedly leaked a so-called confidential document, hosting Zuma’s private medical details, to Maughan. Previous trial Judge Piet Koen and eight other judges handling numerous applications have emphasized that the document in question did not house any confidential information and had been previously submitted to the court by Zuma’s lawyers for a trial postponement.