Zuma lines up high-powered legal team

Former President Jacob Zuma will have a new legal ‘dream team’ when he returns to court on corruption charges this week – but who's paying for them is not clear. On the slate, according to the Sunday Times, are two lawyers who are also representing the Gupta family – but none will say who is footing the bill. Four senior advocates and one junior counsel – estimated to cost anywhere between R160 000 and R290 000 a day – will be at the KZN High Court (Pietermaritzburg) alongside the former President on Friday. As a guide to the costs likely to be incurred, two years ago it was reported that Advocate Jeremy Gauntlett SC was being paid about R50 000 a day to help Zuma extricate himself from the Nkandla scandal. The team includes two advocates acting for Zuma’s son Duduzane and the Gupta family in state capture criminal cases. Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko is quoted as saying President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office had agreed to pay for only one senior advocate and two junior counsel, pending the outcome of a court challenge by the EFF and DA to block Zuma’s legal funding by the state. ‘The Presidency has approved a legal team of the same size as that which the former President previously had, being one senior and two junior counsel. We have made no further commitments,’ Diko said.

As reported previously in Legalbrief Today, Advocate Mike Hellens is on Zuma’s team. According to the Sunday Times he is joined by senior counsel Dawie Joubert, who also represents Duduzane in his corruption trial involving the alleged Gupta family plot to bribe then deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas; senior counsel Muzi Sikhakhane, who led the Sikhakhane commission that investigated the conduct of former top SARS investigator Johann van Loggerenberg; senior counsel Thabani Masuku, who represented former SABC chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng in his unsuccessful court battle to avoid paying legal costs attached to the unlawful dismissal of the ‘SABC 8’ staffers, and also represented Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe when Hlophe argued that 13 Constitutional Court justices had violated his rights; junior counsel Mpilo Sikhakhane, senior counsel Muzi’s son. Hellens confirmed the names of the legal team, and said they would all be in court on Friday.