Lungani Zungu
Jacob Zuma has lost a court judgement against VBS Mutual Bank, which will allow the now-defunct bank to seize R6.5 million in assets from the former president.
The High Court in Pietermaritzburg ruled on Tuesday that Zuma will be forced to pay back a loan he received for upgrades to his Nkandla homestead.
These upgrades – including a swimming pool, amphitheatre, cattle kraal and chicken run – were initially paid for by the state on the basis that they were for the purposes of security.
In 2016, following an inquiry, Zuma was ordered by the Constitutional Court to pay for these non-security-related upgrades himself.
He borrowed R7.8 million from the Limpopo-based VBS bank in 2016 to make the payments. However, he fell behind on the monthly payments of R70,000 in 2018. This was shortly after he lost political power and the bank fell into liquidation.
Louise Brugman, the spokesperson for the bank’s liquidator, Anoosh Rooplal, confirmed that the order was granted by the Pietermaritzburg High Court, as reported in the Daily Maverick.
A relative of Zuma’s in Nkandla told Scrolla.Africa that the former president was unshaken by the ruling.
“It is not even something that he is worried about. He’s got more […] serious issues to deal with,” said the relative, who did not want to be named.
The land on which Zuma’s homestead is built cannot be seized as an asset as it is not owned by Zuma’s family and in fact belongs to the Ingonyama Trust.
The family member denied this, saying that the plot of land does belong to the Zuma family.
Tuesday’s bruising court order is only one of many legal issues Zuma is dealing with.
The former president is fighting to stay out of jail over the multi-billion arms deal contract.
Earlier this month, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Piet Koen postponed that matter to 17 October.
Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison in July last year for defying a court order.
But his loyal backer Arthur Fraser, the former head of correctional services, ordered him released on medical parole in September.
The Helen Suzman Foundation and the Democratic Alliance are fighting against Fraser’s release in the Supreme Court of Appeals in Bloemfontein. The court has reserved judgement.
