Zuma has been charged with 16 counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to the arms deal dating back to before he took office in 2009.
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the spokeswoman for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), told AFP that Zuma's lawyers filed papers at the High Court in Durban requesting a "permanent stay of prosecution".
"I can confirm that (the application has been filed)," she said on the phone.
Zuma, 76, is due back in court for a hearing on November 30.
He is accused of taking bribes from French defence company Thales during his time as a provincial economy minister and later as deputy president of the ruling ANC party.
He allegedly pocketed around four million rands ($340,000, 280,000 euros) from 783 payments handled by Schabir Shaik, a businessman who acted as his financial adviser.
Thales on Thursday announced in a statement that it had also filed its own court application to have the prosecution dropped.
The company argues that the re-introduction of the charges "holds no validity" because the charges were originally struck down in 2009.
A separate judicial enquiry into alleged state corruption during Zuma's time as president is currently hearing evidence in Johannesburg.
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