Pretoria – Opposition parties on Tuesday won their bid to intervene in President Jacob Zuma’s bid to stop the release of the “state capture” report.
Judge Dunstan Mlambo ruled in favour of the EFF, DA, Cope, and the UDM, in the High Court in Pretoria.
Mlambo also granted former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor’s application to intervene. She, along with the parties, want former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s report to be made public.
Zuma will ask the court on Wednesday to change his application. He wants to ask the court to find that Madonsela acted unlawfully when she finalised her state capture report, Netwerk24 reported.
He argues that he did not have enough time to present his side of the story and he wants his team to interrogate the witnesses before the new public protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, releases the report.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des Van Rooyen's urgent application to have Madonsela’s report interdicted was also struck down.
Zuma was ordered to pay the costs of the applications. His lawyer Anthea Platt then asked for an application for an amendment.
The EFF's advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi said the case should be adjourned until Wednesday for arguments on Zuma's amendments.
The DA’s James Selfe described the order in favour of opposition parties as “the first blow”.
Speaking after the order was handed down, he said many of the issues Zuma raised were addressed and rejected in proceedings.
"We are very pleased and expect the court to reject the president's bid as well," he told journalists.
Trade union Nehawu on Tuesday called on Zuma to resign. Nehawu is the first Cosatu-affiliated union to do so.
In a statement on Tuesday, Nehawu's national executive committee said Zuma's leadership in government was "untenable", given the socio-political climate in the country.
Meanwhile, various marches across the country – some planned to coincide with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s now cancelled court appearance - are due to go ahead on Wednesday.
Both the DA and EFF will take to the streets while the Save South Africa campaign has organised protests in Pretoria and Cape Town.
- News24