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Imagine the legal costs this unnamed former president of ours is racking up, as he continues to fight courtroom battles on a number of fronts?

A Constitutional Court ruling forbids naming the parties, for those wondering why it’s necessary to keep up this charade.

At first, his estranged wife was seeking a cool R170 000 a month in maintenance payments, to look after herself and her two young children fathered by the former president.

Earlier this month, Pietermaritzburg high court acting judge Barry Skinner ruled that he would have to pay R95 000 a month. Skinner found that the man would be able to afford that, given that he had multiple bank accounts showing sizeable deposits at regular intervals.

This despite the fact that the former president says he’s living off ‘just’ his pension, which is R145 000 a month.

The latest update is that lawyers acting on behalf of the former president were back in court yesterday, arguing that there is no way he can afford to pay the R95 000 a month.

In fact, he wants it reduced to R20 000 a month.

TimesLIVE reports:

In his affidavit which came before the court on Tuesday, he said [Skinner] had misinterpreted his bank statements — subpoenaed by his estranged wife — which showed large deposits and withdrawals, often in cash.

Payments into his account were “contributions and donations from sympathetic members of the public or donor organisations who support me politically” and should not have been deemed “income”, he said.

He said the absence of any monthly payment of R66,000 towards a bond at VBS Bank on the statements was because he had stopped paying it through a monthly debit order and had been paying it through direct deposits and transfers.

For “sympathetic members of the public”, read those who are paying him for his silence, so that he doesn’t bring the entire criminal enterprise known as the ANC tumbling down.

The former president went on to say that he owes R13 million in legal fees, which is “poised to grow even more rapidly”.

He said he gave money monthly to other relatives for living expenses and these were done in cash “because I am not a person who uses the latest banking technology or internet facilities. I still do most of my personal banking through the old system of cash and deposits.”

…He said he is presently at a “very high risk” of being in contempt of the order granted by Skinner earlier this month and a consequence is that he could be sent to jail.

Errr – good?

The former president went on to say that VBS Bank is attempting to foreclose on his home, which he could lose, “and my entire family will be left destitute thereafter”.

His estranged wife opposed the latest application, saying he has “not been frank” about those legal fees.

Before you’re too sympathetic, remember this, related to Skinner’s R95 000 a month ruling:

In setting the amount at R95,000, the judge said he had disallowed medical expenses because she had access to free medical care through the department of defence, disallowed a monthly vehicle installment, and cut back pay for three domestic workers, a personal assistant and an au pair from R23,000 per month to R17,000.

Everyone is taking everyone for a ride here.

[source:timeslive]