You made your bed, Zuma, lie in it

When it comes to Jacob Zuma, the wheels of justice have been grinding exceedingly slowly. That’s mainly because his “Stalingrad” legal defence – fighting every line of every document – has helped him enjoy at least 15 years of extra freedom.

But, now, it seems that he is running out of options as he surrenders his last few legal trenches to the advancing forces of the law.

He suffered two body blows yesterday when the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruled that he is no longer entitled to legal aid from the state.

He has tried, repeatedly, to argue that he is entitled to the financial help – but the judgment underlined the principle that a head of state, or other government employee, would be due legal aid to fight criminal actions in bona fide execution of his or her national duties.

Zuma has, since 2006, been fighting 783 counts of corruption – which is probably the tip of the iceberg of charges which can be brought in relation to the looting of the state capture project.

None of that can, in any way, be construed as being related to his official government duties.

The court served him up with a bill of R16 million for the money from the state which he has already wasted on his defence.

Not only that, the court tossed salt into his monetary wounds by imposing a punitive costs order – put simply: you wasted our time. Now, we will fine you for that.

Zuma will inevitably bleat that he is the victim of political prosecution and that he has been nudged into poverty by the harshness of the financial penalties.

He should be ignored. You made your bed, sir, now lie in it. The rest of us will savour the light at the end of the state capture tunnel.