The leader of the Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party, former President Jacob Zuma is due in court this coming Thursday for two cases related to the arms deal corruption trial.

According to the JG Zuma Foundation, of which Zuma is a patron, he would first hear the ruling of Judge Nkosinathi Chili in the application for leave to appeal the ruling dismissing his request for the recusal of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Advocate Billy Downer.

This matter was argued on 6 February 2025.

In the second matter, Judge Chili will preside over arguments in the application for acquittal brought by Thales, the second accused in the arms deal corruption trial.

Thales, a French arms company is seeking acquittal on the basis that two key witnesses have recently passed away, saying this undermines the fairness of the proceedings.

In relation to this application, Zuma has filed a conditional application for his own acquittal, should Thales’ application be successful.

“The rationale is clear: the unavailability of these crucial witnesses has a material impact on the fairness of the trial. The prosecution’s case rests heavily on common purpose and revolves around the disputed “encrypted fax,” which was to have been addressed by the now-deceased witnesses.

“The inability to cross-examine these witnesses strikes at the heart of the accused’s constitutional right to a fair trial,” the Zuma foundation said in a statement today.

The NPA is opposing the Thales application.

Zuma is accused of pocketing millions in bribes from Schabir Shaik, his former financial advisor who was also the owner of Nkobi Holdings, one of the companies that won tenders when the country engaged in a military modernisation and spent billions in buying weapons from Europeans companies.