Zuma’s Trial Postponed Over Health Condition

The prolonged trial of South Africa’s
Ex- president, Jacob Zuma was postponed on Tuesday following his health status.

The 79-year-old was hospitalised for observation on Friday for an undisclosed condition which prompted Tuesday’s hearing to be held virtually rather than in open court.
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“The matter is postponed to 9th and 10th of September, 2021,” Judge Piet Koen declared, pending a medical report from Zuma’s team

Tuesday’s hearing was to involve a plea by the defence to remove a state prosecutor and thus have the charges against Zuma dropped.

Zuma is faced with 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering linked to the 1999 purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and equipment from five European arms firms when he was deputy president.

He is accused of taking bribes from one of the firms, French defence giant Thales, which has been charged with corruption of which both Zuma and Thales have pleaded not guilty.

Zuma, last month, began serving a 15-month jail sentence for snubbing a commission probing state corruption under his 2009-2018 presidency.

He remains in the hospital at an undisclosed location