Zuma denied leave to appeal order to repay R28,9m in legal fees

Former president Jacob Zuma has once again failed in his bid to avoid repaying the State R28,9 million for his private legal costs, after the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed his application for leave to appeal. According to reports, Judge Anthony Millar on Thursday refused Zuma’s request to take the matter to either a full bench or the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), saying he was not convinced that another court would reach a different conclusion. According to an article byThe Mercury, the judge said such litigation was “destructive” to the principle that all are equal before the law and reinforces the perception that “there is far too much law for those who can afford it, and far too little for those who cannot”.

In October, Judge Millar ordered Zuma to repay R28,9 million in state funds spent on his personal legal fees over several years, including interest. The court also directed the State Attorney to report back on steps taken to recover the money. Zuma sought leave to appeal the entirety of that ruling.

One of Zuma’s key arguments was that neither the earlier Full Court nor the SCA had expressly stated that he, personally, must repay the funds. Judge Millar dismissed this, saying both judgments made it clear that any repayment obligation rested squarely on Zuma.