Judge refuses to order Downer, Maughan to appear in aborted Zuma 'prosecution' - as Mpofu fumes

Despite four court rulings slamming Jacob Zuma's private prosecution of state advocate Billy Downer and this writer as "an abuse of process," the former president's lawyers unsuccessfully argued both must sit in the criminal dock when the invalidated case returned to court.

Kwazulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg Judge Nkosinathi Chili was also not convinced by Zuma's advocate Dali Mpofu's arguments that Downer and this writer must be ordered to appear in court when the private prosecution returns to court on 9 April 2024.

Instead, the judge directed "that the parties will be represented by their respective legal representatives on the day."