The long-running corruption case involving former President Jacob Zuma and French arms company Thales will resume in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday, 4 December 2025, after a six-month break. The pause followed the appointment of Presiding Judge Justice Nkosinathi Chili as an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal, which temporarily stalled the matter.
The hearing has been set down for two days. The court will hear applications for leave to appeal brought by Zuma and Thales. These applications challenge the June 2025 judgment that dismissed their bid to halt the prosecution. In that earlier ruling, the High Court found that the defence had not demonstrated legal grounds to permanently stop the trial, which relates to allegations linked to the multibillion rand 1999 arms procurement programme.
Zuma faces multiple charges including fraud, corruption and money laundering, while Thales is accused of allegedly agreeing to pay bribes to secure arms deal contracts. Both parties deny the allegations. Zuma was first charged in 2005, and although charges were withdrawn in 2009, they were reinstated in 2018 following a court order.
Also before the court is a separate application by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which wants the criminal trial to continue despite the pending appeal bids by Zuma and Thales. The state argues that further delays would undermine the progress already made in the long-running case. Both defence teams are opposing the NPA application.
The JG Zuma Foundation on Wednesday confirmed the resumption of proceedings and said the matter will return to open court tomorrow.
