President Jacob Zuma's lawyer says that the Democratic Alliance (DA) must respond to formal court processes attempting to acquire the intelligence report that led to the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

Zuma lawyer Michael Hulley told News24 on Wednesday that he did want to delve into the matter.

"The notice has been served and it is a formal court process and must be dealt with formally. I don't think I want to comment on anything specifically."

He added: "That's how court processes work. You file a notice in terms of the rules and they must respond to it. They brought their application in terms of the rules and we have responded to it."

Zuma's lawyers asked the DA to produce the very intelligence report it wants Zuma to supply.

Court rules

Earlier DA Federal Executive chairperson James Selfe told News24: "The president issued a demand [in terms of court rule 33], asking us to produce the so-called intelligence report."

Selfe explained that during the ''discovery'' period leading up to court litigation, the court rules allow that documents referred to in founding affidavits - in this case the intelligence report - be handed over to the other side.

The DA has applied to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to force Zuma to produce the report that he used to justify his late night Cabinet reshuffle on March 30.

Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas were among those fired, and Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba took over the hot seat, with Sfiso Buthelezi as his deputy.

Gordhan had been told to return urgently from an overseas investor roadshow.

After the reshuffle, a shocked deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa said he was upset that they seemed to have been removed over a conspiracy allegation.

Selfe said the intelligence report was referred to in the DA's affidavit on the grounds of media references to it made by senior African National Congress leaders such as Ramaphosa.

''We will respond to them in a very robust way by pointing out that it is them that have to produce the report.''

Shortly after the Cabinet reshuffle, State Security Minister David Mahlobo told media he had heard of the report being circulated within the African National Congress, but had not had his hands on a copy.