The EFF welcomes the judgement of the North Gauteng High Court that Zuma must personally pay the legal costs in the case where he sought to stop the publication of Public Protectors' State of Capture report.

We welcome this damning judgement as a victory of accountability because many public representatives use public resources to defend personal interests and not those of the state or the public.

The important lesson the court is teaching is that public representatives must always distinguish between personal and public interests. This separation becomes blurred when those who rule are either dictators or corrupt individuals seeking to protect or defend wrongdoing by using taxpayers' money to engage in expensive litigation.

Zuma is one individual who has used taxpayers money to defend personal wrongdoing. He has engaged in expensive litigation not to defend public interest or even state interest, but persona. This was so in matters like that of Nkandla where he used taxpayers money to challenge Public Protectors remedial action that he must personally pay back the money inappropriately used to build him a mansion.

We call on Zuma to immediately comply with the directive of the court and personally pay all the costs of the litigation. He must waist no time and no single taxpayers' cent to appeal a clear and cogent judgment.

 

Issued by EFF