Zuma’s hate speech fine mistaken for lawyers’ fees

Speaking through his legal representation, Edward Zuma has asked the court for an extension on the deadline to settle the outstanding amount of his hate speech fine after his lawyers mistakenly pocketed his last deposit, assuming it was paid towards outstanding fees.

According to Times Live, the court heard on Tuesday that Zuma had paid the outstanding R12,500 owed to Ohlange High School as part of the fine into his lawyers’ trust fund before his deadline was up.

The school never received the funds, however, as the law firm assumed it was a portion of fees owed to them. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) approached the court in December 2018 for a warrant for his arrest as a result.

In 2018, the SAHRC was granted an order interdicting and restraining Zuma from “publishing, propagating, advocating, or communicating hate speech”, following statements he made in 2017.

In an open letter distributed in July last year, Edward hit out at recently fired ministers Derek Hanekom and Pravin Gordhan, calling both sell-outs and supporters of white monopoly capital.

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Edward was ordered to issue a written, unconditional apology to all South Africans and for the R60,000 fine to be split between Umthombo Secondary School and Ohlange High School in Inanda, Durban.

The fine would be paid in instalments of R10,000 per month, with the first instalment due to Umthombo on or before June 30, 2018, with consecutive payments thereafter until the amount was paid in full.

It has since been revealed that the lawyers’ mix up is to blame for the outstanding status of his final fine instalment.

During Tuesday’s court proceedings, his lawyer, Ayanda Mkwananzi, assured the court that Zuma would settle the fine by February 7 and then return to court to prove that the fine had been paid.

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