State Advocate Billy Downer wants former President Jacob Zuma to put up an additional R1m as security for costs ahead of his private prosecution of Downer, says a News24 report.

Zuma launched the private prosecution against Downer and News24 journalist Karyn Maughan and has apparently already deposited R90 000 at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court as security.

But Downer said in papers filed in the KZN High Court (Pietermaritzburg) that R1m was necessary to ‘provide security that is sufficient to meet the probable costs which may be incurred in respect of my defence in the private prosecution’ if the prosecution fails.

Downer said he and the NPA had engaged the services of senior counsel and two junior counsels for his defence. The senior counsel's charges in the matter amount to R54 000 per day and R5 400 per hour, and the combined charges of both junior counsels are R45 000 per day and R4 500 per hour.

Therefore, Zuma should fork out an additional amount as security for private prosecution, he submitted.

The security should either be paid in cash or be provided using a bank guarantee, he added.

‘I submit that in the circumstances, a bank guarantee is not only required to secure the additional amount but that it is necessary due to the fact that this court has, as recently as August 2022, granted the curator of VBS Mutual Bank an execution order for the private prosecutor's outstanding debt that is due to VBS Mutual Bank.’

He added: ‘I have no confidence that the private prosecutor will in future be able to settle the costs incurred for my defence in the absence of the security that I require.’

Full News24 report