Former Judge Willem Heath, a fierce critic of government corruption in the arms deal, sprung a surprise yesterday by agreeing to act as legal adviser to former deputy president Jacob Zuma in his corruption trial.

Zuma is due to appear in the Durban High Court tomorrow and Heath confirmed he would act as “legal counsel to advise Zuma on the merits of the corruption charges”.

Heath met Zuma yesterday, following reports at the weekend in which Heath said Zuma had been unjustifiably treated in the Schabir Shaik saga. He said that although President Thabo Mbeki was “definitely” justified in firing Zuma, the former deputy president should have been tried alongside Shaik.

“I am not prepared to appear for him at the trial … (and) I will not brief his counsel. I have made it clear I will only analyse the evidence and if in my view he is guilty, I will tell him so,” he said.

However, the appointment is seen as ironic, given that Zuma fiercely opposed the inclusion of Heath’s special investigating unit in a 2001 arms-deal probe.

In January 2001, Zuma said in a letter to Gavin Woods, chairman of Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts: “We are convinced … there is no need for the Heath unit to be involved in any investigation of the defence acquisition.” Zuma also attacked Woods for insinuating corruption in government.

Heath said yesterday that former national director of public prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka “had a political motive for brutally attempting to destroy Zuma’s reputation”.

Zuma will not receive financial support from the African National Congress for his trial, but funds have sprung up to pay for his defence and welfare, from unnamed businessmen and political supporters.

Not everyone was convinced Heath was doing the right thing.

Woods said: “It is difficult to reconcile Heath’s decision to assist someone implicated in the arms deal with the moral position he took initially around government corruption in that deal.”

Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille said this was ironic, but said: “Zuma has got a right to choose a legal team of his own, and similarly Heath has got a right to work where he chooses.”

But Heath said this should not be seen as any departure from his public statements that he would continue to fight corruption, and “I will not allow (Zuma) to manipulate me”.

With acknowledgements to Rob Rose and the Business Day.