Zuma Foundation slams court ruling, warns public against donation scam

The Jacob Zuma Foundation has on Sunday warned the public against scams soliciting money on behalf of the former president, while strongly criticising the recent High Court ruling ordering Zuma to repay millions in State-funded legal fees. The foundation said the judgment reflects ongoing injustices against him.

In a statement the foundation described the ruling as contradictory and unfair. It said that while the High Court found the State acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally when paying Zuma’s legal costs, it still held Zuma personally responsible for the repayment.

According to the foundation, this approach “punishes” Zuma for actions that were not his own and shifts blame away from those who authorised the expenditure. The foundation said that under the Public Finance Management Act, the officials responsible for the payments should have been held accountable instead of Zuma.

The court also granted the Democratic Alliance (DA) interest and attachment orders, which the foundation described as a reversal of a previous full court decision that had denied such relief. The foundation said this outcome ignored constitutional fairness and set a worrying precedent in the interpretation of South Africa’s laws.

The foundation said it was concerned about what it called a “declining quality of judicial reasoning” and inconsistencies in constitutional application. It said this undermines public confidence in the justice system. The statement added that it was unjust and inequitable for Zuma alone to bear the financial consequences of what the court itself recognised as unlawful state conduct.

The former president, according to the foundation, is now considering possible legal action against the State for damages resulting from what it described as the ongoing harm caused by the judgment. It said Zuma’s pension could now be attached to recover the funds, following the court’s order in favour of the DA.

Zuma has faced a long legal battle over the State’s payment of his legal fees, which date back to his time as deputy president and president. The legal costs relate to his defence in corruption cases connected to the multibillion-rand arms deal. 

In 2018, the High Court ruled that the State was not liable for his private legal costs, a position reaffirmed in later appeals. The latest ruling reinforces that Zuma must personally repay the funds, which with interest amount to millions of rand.

The foundation said Zuma will continue to fight for his constitutional rights and seek justice from what it called fair-minded courts. It added that true justice would ultimately prevail and that no citizen should suffer for the unlawful conduct of the State.

Meanwhile, the foundation cautioned members of the public not to respond to messages or social media posts calling for donations to support Zuma. It said it has not authorised any fundraising campaigns and that such appeals are scams.

The JG Zuma Foundation urged the public to verify any official communication directly through its recognised spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi.