Zuma seeking pro bono lawyers after bitter split

Former President Jacob Zuma’s associates are looking for new legal counsel to represent him pro bono on charges of fraud, corruption and racketeering as the corruption trial heads for an inevitable delay after the withdrawal of his defence team, notes a Mail & Guardian report by Emsie Ferreira. ‘I am trying to find lawyers who will help him,’ a source close to the former President said this week, adding that Zuma’s confidante Dudu Myeni, the former chairperson of SAA and the Jacob Zuma Foundation, was also involved in these efforts. The source insisted that Zuma did not part ways with his instructing attorney, Eric Mabuza, and senior counsel, Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane, in a bid to delay the start of the trial on 17 May or because he could no longer afford them, but because differences on how his defence should be handled had led to a breakdown of trust. ‘It’s not about delaying things, and it wasn’t about money at all. They have never been paid,’ the source said. Mabuza has confirmed that money was not the reason why he and Sikhakhane withdrew as Zuma’s legal representatives on 21 April, saying instead that the decision was taken ‘for professional reasons’. Sikhakhane declined to comment, but it is understood that he is owed millions. The M&G report notes its sources said the discord partly stemmed from Zuma and his inner circle’s insistence that he would implicate others in corruption in the 1990s arms-procurement programme. Although the legal team eventually left for ‘ethical reasons’, Zuma believes Sikhakhane has yielded to external pressure. The former President stands accused of taking a bribe from French arms manufacturer Thales through his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik, who was convicted of two counts of corruption and one of fraud in 2005 and handed a 15-year sentence.

Mabuza must appear in court on 17 May to formally present his reasons for withdrawal, according to an instruction from KZN  Deputy Judge President Isaac Madondo. The M&G report says Zuma is understood to regard the full reasons for the withdrawal as a betrayal. A senior source in the judiciary said whether Mabuza presents himself at court or sends a representative, a delay is inevitable. ‘The question is how long,’ the source said. Zuma’s associate insisted that he lacked the independent means to pay legal counsel. ‘He is broke. He cannot sell his home. He cannot sell Nkandla because it was built on land allocated to the village chief, and with his responsibilities, if he has R10 000, maybe R20 000 left at the end of the month, that is a lot,’ he said. ‘And he cannot defend himself, so we are looking for someone.’ The day after Mabuza and Sikhakhane withdrew, public interest lawyer Richard Spoor offered, on Twitter, to defend Zuma without raising a fee. A few of Spoor’s 25 000 followers incorrectly interpreted the proposal as facetious. Spoor told the M&G it was not only important that the trial proceeds at long last, but also that it was seen as fair, to which Zuma’s right to have legal representation and for his lawyers to have time to prepare was integral. Spoor was surprised, given their political differences, to receive a call from Zuma’s office recently to ascertain if the offer was sincere.