The Johannesburg High Court has granted President Cyril Ramaphosa an urgent interdict in a matter that was brought by his predecessor Jacob Zuma. Zuma is accusing Ramaphosa of being an accessory after the fact in the case he filed against Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan. Zuma accuses Downer and Maughan of leaking his medical records.

OFF THE HOOK

The interdict stops Ramaphosa's private prosecution by Zuma for now. Handing down his judgment, Deputy Judge President Roland Sutherland said: "As to the balance of convenience, the respondent suffers no harm if there was a delay in the private prosecution in order to debate the controversies alluded to in this judgement. As mentioned earlier, the trial of the alleged principal offenders has yet to begin. The conviction is a necessary condition for criminal liability by the applicant,"

PART B CASE

Sutherland further said that the management must be set up for the date of the hearing on the Part B of the case which will deal with the main application against Downer and Maughan. "The costs of this application were hotly debated, however, it is unnecessary for us in this urgent hearing to address that question which shall be reserved for a decision of the hearing of the main case," said Sutherland. The decision made by Sutherland means that Ramaphosa will not take a stand when the case resumes.

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