Zuma served only two months of a 15-month term before being given medical parole
AFP

Former President Jacob Zuma is all set to oppose current President Cyril Ramaphosa's court application aimed at interdicting the former from continuing with his private prosecution bid on the issue of Billy Downer and Karyn Maughan.

The case is set to resume on Jan. 19 in the Gauteng High Court.

This came after Ramaphosa reportedly filed papers in the Gauteng High Court Tuesday for an urgent application to interdict Zuma from going ahead with his private prosecution bid. The Jacob Zuma Foundation (JGZ) said Wednesday that it was surprising to learn about the president's application to the High Court to have the matter heard urgently.

"The JGZ Foundation is pleasantly surprised at media reports that Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, who is rather accused person having been criminally charged on December 15, 2022, has finally come to his senses and has taken steps to allow the courts to determine the validity or otherwise of the criminal summons delivered by the private prosecutor," the foundation said, as per News24.

Mzwanele Manyi, the spokesperson for the foundation, said it will decide on the matter after carefully studying the court papers.

"H.E. Zuma will do his best to locate and consult with his legal team. Once they have studied the papers, a more comprehensive statement will be released. For now, it is sufficient to indicate that the application will be opposed," Manyi said.

In the private prosecution, Ramaphosa claimed Zuma violated the NPA Act after prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan allegedly leaked his medical records. Ramaphosa further demanded Zuma withdraw the private prosecution within three days, but Zuma's legal team refused and served him with a second summons instead.

This led to Ramaphosa filing an urgent application to the High Court in Pretoria.

Zuma accused Downer and Maughan of unethical behavior and criminal activity, claiming they disclosed the contents of confidential documents to prosecutors without written permission from the National Director of Prosecutions. Zuma's legal team had since added Ramaphosa to the list of those accused.

The president, however, argued that the certificate, granted by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirming that no prosecution would follow their consideration of charges, was not issued specifically against him.