'Zuma doesn't see himself as criminal hence his statements on leniency of state'

Legal journalist Karyn Maughan weighs in on the former president's utterances about the state being soft on criminals.

The Jacob Zuma Foundation is accusing the State of abusing the courts and violating the former president's rights.

The foundation cites that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is saying it is not ready to proceed with Zuma and French arms company, Thales trial.

At an African National Congress (ANC)’s virtual Umrabulo session on Sunday, Zuma criticised the country’s laws for being too lenient on hardened criminals.

RELATED: Jacob Zuma defies Constitutional Court ruling and is prepared to go to prison

He also added that he believed that Parliament isn’t helping the social cohesion debate and nation building.

Mandy Wiener on The Midday Report chats to NPA spokesperson Sipho Ngwema and legal journalist Karyn Maughan to give more insight on the matter.

There was a confirmed agreement between the state, Thales and Zuma's lawyers that we would come back to court on 23 February for us to agree on pre-trial issues. Tomorrow was never a trial date but a date set to reach an agreement on the trial date.

Sipho Ngwema, Spokesperson - NPA

Maughan says she doesn't believe that Zuma regards himself as an accused criminal.

He has made it clear that he believes that he is innocent of any wrongdoing during his permanent stay of prosecution application. He made arguments where he denied his alleged corruption.

Karyn Maughan, Legal journalist

Listen below to Ngwema's interview:

Listen below to Maughan's interview:

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