High Court Orders Zuma And Thales Arms Deal Case To Proceed Even If Further Appeals Are Filed

• The Pietermaritzburg High Court has made a ruling in the long-running arms deal trial involving Jacob Zuma and Thales
• Judge Nkosinathi Chili has ordered that the trial against the former State president and the French arms company must proceed
• The trial, which stems from the controversial 1999 arms procurement scandal, has faced numerous delays since charges were first laid

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

KWAZULU-NATAL – The case against Jacob Zuma and French arms company Thales should go ahead, even if more appeals are filed.

Judge Nkosinathi Chili made the ruling in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on 14 May 2026 as the high-profile case continues to drag on. The former State president and the French arms company have been trying to get the charges of corruption, racketeering, money laundering, and fraud dropped.

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The charges are tied to the 1999 arms procurement scandal and are related to 783 alleged improper payments. The trial has faced numerous delays, appeals, and applications over the years. Thales even applied to have the charges dropped, arguing that unreasonable delays resulted in the deaths of crucial witnesses, Alain Thétard and Pierre Moynot. Thétard and Moynot were both Thales representatives. The company claimed that no witnesses would be able to testify in its defence because of the deaths.

Judge Chili has now sought to put an end to that, ruling that the trial should go ahead. He made the ruling after the State brought forward a "Stop Stalingrad" application, seeking to prevent the defendants from launching more appeals to delay matters further.

“It is directed that the trial is to proceed, irrespective of interlocutory applications, either by the State or the defence,” he said.

He also ordered that both the State and defence approach the registrar and agree on suitable trial dates. Following the directive, the trial was promptly locked in to begin on 1 February 2027.

What you need to know about the arms deal

• The Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled in January 2021 that Zuma and Thales must face trial.
• Zuma and Thales were back in the Pietermaritzburg High Court in April 2021
• The Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed Zuma's appeal to have Billy Downer removed in May 2022.
• A new judge was appointed to preside over the arms deal corruption trial after Judge Piet Koen recused himself.
• Zuma’s arms deal trial was delayed again as he attempted to have Downer removed in April 2023.

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Jugde dismisses Thales and Zuma's application to have charges withdrawn

Briefly News reported that French arms company Thales has lost its appeal to have charges against it withdrawn in relation to the arms deal.

Judge Nkosinathi Chili dismissed the application in May 2025, and in doing so, dismissed Jacob Zuma's appeal as well.

Since May 2021, when the French company and former president were first charged, the trial has been postponed a total of 16 times.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News