Former South African President Jacob Zuma has told his supporters outside the KwaZulu-Natal High Court that he could not afford to pay the legal fees for his ongoing trial.

“I have to sell hats, socks to pay for legal fees, they don’t want me to have lawyers, they are ganging up on me, but I won’t cry, I am not scared of anything,” said a defiant Zuma.

He has applied for a permanent stay of prosecution in a case involving a raft of corruption charges related to the multibillion-rand arms deal.

On Friday afternoon, he said his name had not come up in any testimony relating to state capture and corruption.

“You will get tired looking for me. They call me corrupt. But till today, no one can show what I have stolen,” he said.

He said his financial position had resulted in a change in counsel.

“I let go of white lawyers, I am left with black lawyers because they will do the work even if they don’t have money.”

Zuma said his lawyers had explained in court that his corruption case couldn’t continue because his rights had been violated.