Zuma in 'high spirits' despite medical emergency, says his daughter

Jacob Zuma's daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla would not be drawn to comment on his health except to say that the former president, who turns 80 on Tuesday, is in “high spirits”.

Speaking to TimesLIVE on Monday in the Pietermaritzburg high court after judge Piet Koen granted a postponement of Zuma's corruption trial until at least the end of May, Zuma-Sambudla said while she couldn't comment on his health, he was in “high spirits”. 

She told his legal team she was en route to Durban to meet family to discuss Zuma's medical status. 

Koen ruled on Monday afternoon that the postponement was to allow the finalisation of his appeal process, presently before the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

Zuma didn't appear in court on Monday for the trial in which he and French arms company Thales are facing charges of fraud, corruption and money-laundering relating to the arms deal.

Earlier, Zuma's spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi told media that Zuma had a “medical emergency” and his doctor had advised against him attending the trial. 

Manyi welcomed the postponement saying it was “clear” that the judge used his discretion in arriving at his decision.

“He quoted chapters that compel him to make a ruling that he made. Rule of law ruled supreme today and that is all we have been asking for.”

He said they were now awaiting a decision by the president of the SCA, Mandisa Maya. 

Zuma loyalists in court on Monday included suspended Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association spokesperson Carl Niehaus, suspended SAA board chairperson Dudu Myeni, Msunduzi councillor and former deputy mayor Thobani Zuma and Radical Economic Transformation (RET) spokesperson Nkosentsha Shezi. 

“Because of his ill health, he waived his right to be in court and allowed proceedings to go ahead. We proceed purely because of President Zuma. Again this deals with the wide-held view of saying Zuma is busy with delay tactics. There is no evidence of that,” Manyi said.

Earlier, TimesLIVE and Sunday Times photographer Sandile Ndlovu was allegedly manhandled by Myeni, who did not take kindly to being photographed while making her way to the courtroom.

According to Ndlovu, Myeni scolded him, saying he should not have taken a photo of her. “You don’t do this to white people,” said Myeni. She wasn't seen after the incident. 

Shezi also welcomed the postponement. He said inclement weather coupled with Sunday's watershed ANC eThekwini regional conference had played a part in the poor attendance of some Zuma supporters.

The conference saw Zandile Gumede, who is regarded as Zuma's ally, defeat Thabani Nyawose, an ally of Cyril Ramaphosa, for the position of chair of the eThekwini region.

“Just yesterday we had a resounding victory at a conference in eThekwini. It was a battle between RET forces and Johann Rupert’s force. The resolution of the ANC prevailed and most of our forces are still held up there,” he said.

He vowed that come May 17, scores of supporters would descend on KwaZulu-Natal's capital.

“Today’s turnout does not mean in any way that Zuma’s support is dwindling — if anything, it is stronger. We also could not offer the right shelter for our supporters seeing as it is  raining cats and dogs,” said Shezi.

He said Gumede's triumph should serve as a “warning to Ramaphosa’s faction that rightful  owners’’ of the ANC were getting ready to take over the party.

TimesLIVE