A South African court on Tuesday again postponed the corruption trial of former president Jacob Zuma to September 9 following his hospitalization last week.

"The matter is postponed to 9th and 10th of September 2021," Judge Piet Koen declared, pending a medical report on Zuma. The case has dragged on for years, suffering a string of holdups. The court also ordered Zuma's team to produce a medical report by August 20.

Zuma was expected to appear at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday in a $2-billion arms deal corruption case that led to his sacking as South Africa's vice president in 2005.

The 79-year-old faces 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering related to the 1999 purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and equipment from five European arms firms when he was vice president. He is also accused of taking bribes from French defense giant Thales, which has also been charged with corruption.

Both Zuma and Thales have pleaded not guilty.

Zuma last month began serving a 15-month jail sentence for snubbing a commission probing state corruption under his 2009-2018 presidency. He remains in hospital at an undisclosed location.

(With input from Reuters, AFP)