South Africa: High Court Blocks Zuma's Private Prosecution Bid

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Former president Jacob Zuma (file photo).
7 June 2023
allAfrica.com
By André van Wyk

Cape Town — The KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg has set aside former president Jacob Zuma's bid to prosecute News24 journalist Karyn Maughan and prosecutor Billy Downer, News24 reports. This comes after Maughan and Downer made a legal challenge against the former president who alleged that Downer was responsible for leaking private medical information to Maughan in violation of the the National Prosecuting Authority Act.

Zuma has been ordered to pay the attorneys' and advocates fees for both Downer and Maughan. News24 Editor-in-Chief Adriaan Basson said: "This is a massive victory for media freedom in South Africa. Jacob Zuma's attempts to privately prosecute News24's specialist legal writer Karyn Maughan was a clear attempt to bully, intimidate and silence a journalist who has been reporting on his corruption case for 20 years."

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