Durban - Earlier on Tuesday, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Dhaya Pillay issued a surprise warrant of arrest against former President Jacob Zuma in order to secure his court appearance.
This was after Zuma’s non-appearance before the high court where he was to answer for alleged corruption emanating from the multi-billion arms deal. He is co-accused with French arms company, Thales.
However, the warrant of arrest does not mean that the South African Police Services will immediately launch a massive manhunt for Zuma or detain him until he is presented in court for the next appearance billed for May 6, 2020.
In a brief explainer by Advocate Billy Downer to Independent Media, the lead prosecutor for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the case, said the warrant will be left hanging and Zuma will explain when he next appears in court why he was not there on February 4, 2020.
According to Downer, on May 6, Zuma will be quizzed by the court and if he does not give a satisfactory explanation, he may be criminally charged for that. He also said if Zuma argues he was sick, he has to produce the evidence which may be viewed without compromising confidentiality.
For now, Zuma will be a free man and his lawyer, Advocate Dan Mantsha, when asked whether they will seek to quash the warrant, said they will soon meet to discuss the matter and once Zuma is medically fit enough to issue an instruction, they will then act.