A high court in South Africa on Tuesday dismissed former President Jacob Zuma’s application to permanently halt his long-running corruption trial, clearing the way for proceedings to continue later this year. Zuma and French arms company Thales face 18 charges, including corruption, fraud, money laundering, racketeering, and tax evasion. The charges stem from a controversial 1999 arms procurement deal worth billions of rand, during Zuma’s tenure as South Africa’s deputy president.
In their joint application, Zuma and Thales argued that the case should be struck off the roll, claiming undue delays, procedural unfairness, and the deaths of two key witnesses had violated their right to a fair trial. However, Judge Nkosinathi Chili ruled that while the delays were regrettable, they were not sufficient grounds to terminate the case. The state had convincingly argued that Zuma himself was responsible for many of the delays, including legal maneuvers to oust the lead prosecutor, Billy Downer. The state declared itself trial-ready as far back as 2021, but the proceedings have been stalled by Zuma’s repeated—yet unsuccessful—legal attempts to remove Downer, whom his legal team accused of lacking impartiality.
Zuma’s legal troubles date back over a decade. He was formally charged in 2005 but the case was dropped and then reinstated in 2018 after years of legal wrangling. Much of the prosecution’s case is built around Zuma’s alleged corrupt relationship with his former financial advisor, Schabir Shaik. Shaik was convicted in 2005 of fraud and corruption, with the court citing “overwhelming” evidence of unlawful financial transactions between the two.
Thales is accused of agreeing to pay Zuma an annual bribe of R500,000 in exchange for political protection during the arms deal. The company has denied wrongdoing. Judge Chili has now postponed the matter to 4 December 2025, when the state will seek a court order to begin the trial—regardless of any pending appeals by Zuma or Thales. This case is seen as a key test of South Africa’s ability to hold high-ranking officials and powerful corporations accountable for corruption that plagued the post-apartheid government.
