Durban - The Jacob Zuma foundation is sticking to its guns, saying the medical note from the military health services, which is treating former president Jacob Zuma, would be the one used in court to prove his state of health.
The foundation’s spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi, said the medical note from the military health services, which had been treating Zuma since 1999 when he became deputy president, was filed with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) last Friday.
The foundation’s stance comes after it emerged this week that Zuma refused to be examined by a doctor assigned by the NPA to verify whether he was fit to stand trial.
The news that the foundation will stick to the medical note from the military health services was first posted by the foundation on Twitter.
In the Twitter thread, the foundation said it was ready for the September 9 and 10 date which was set by Judge Piet Koen for all parties to return to the Pietermaritzburg High Court to argue about the matter of Zuma’s health.
“Trial status * Matter postponed to 9th & 10th Sept * Medical Report to be submitted before trial date so that on the 9th both parties can deliberate based on the Report. * If Report gives thumbs up, then * If (the) report gives thumbs down then the matter gets argued in Court,” the foundation tweeted on Tuesday.
The postponed high court hearing was to hear arguments on whether NPA’s senior prosecutor, Advocate Billy Downer, SC, should recuse himself as Zuma had applied, accusing him of several misconducts like leaking information about his corruption trial to the media.
When the matter was to be argued in court mid last month, Zuma fell sick and could not appear in court. That prompted Judge Koen to rule that all parties must submit medical reports about Zuma’s fitness to come to court.
However, that was met with some resistance as the Zuma Foundation said the NPA was second guessing another state institution by demanding to send its doctor to examine Zuma.
On Wednesday Manyi told Independent Media that the medical note they submitted on Friday and confirmed by the NPA would be the one standing in court.
The spokesperson of the NPA, Mthunzi Mhaga, said they would not comment on the insistence by the Zuma Foundation that the matter is closed at least for now.
“We are not commenting on this matter until it is heard in court on 9 September,” Mhaga said.
Political Bureau