The accused were last seen in court in December when the matter was postponed following an application by Thales to have the racketeering charges against it dropped.

The former statesman and Thales face corruption, racketeering and money laundering charges linked to the multi-million rand arms deal.

An attempt by Thales to have charges of racketeering against it dropped failed last month when the Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed its application with costs.

The French arms company has decided not to appeal the court’s decision.

Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has dismissed claims by the Jacob Zuma Foundation that it’s not ready to proceed with the trial.

Spokesperson Sipho Ngwema: "The State is ready for the matter to go to trial and as we have indicated with the preferred date in May, however, it depends on what the judge says."

Ngwema has clarified that today was never meant to be a trial date but parties are expected to resolve outstanding pre-trial management issues and then agree on a trial date.

Eyewitness News