Judge orders former South African president Zuma to repay US$1.6 million in legal fees

Former South African president Jacob Zuma is seen at the Results Operation Center in Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

JOHANNESBURG — A Pretoria High Court on Wednesday ordered former South African president Jacob Zuma to pay back the Office of the State Attorney 28.9 million rand (about US$1.6 million) for the legal fees incurred over the years in his private litigation, including interest.

Judge Anthony Millar set a 60-day deadline for Zuma to pay the debt, stipulating that the state attorney could seize his assets — including his presidential pension benefit — if he defaulted.

Zuma, who served as the president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018, has been embroiled in various litigations, primarily revolving around corruption charges and allegations of using public funds to evade accountability.

While Zuma’s legal fees were initially covered by the State coffers, previous rulings — from the Gauteng High Court in December 2018 and the Supreme Court of Appeal in April 2021 — made it plain that the taxpayer money used for his private representation had to be reimbursed.

Court documents show that interest on about 18.9 million rand (about US$1 million) is due from January 25, 2024, until the date of payment.

In 2021, Zuma served two months in prison for contempt of court after defying a judicial order to testify at an inquiry probing corruption during his presidency. Additionally, he faces charges of corruption, racketeering, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering in relation to a multi-billion-dollar arms deal the South African government signed with a French arms manufacturer in 1999, when he was an influential politician.

He was expelled by his former African National Congress party in 2024 after he formed a new political party, uMkhonto weSizwe Party, or MKP, that contested the country’s national elections.

Hours after the court order was announced, the MKP said in a statement that Zuma will “address the nation” on Thursday, without providing further details.

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Michelle Gumede, The Associated Press