Former South African President Jacob Zuma appeared at the Estcour prison in KwaZulu-Natal province on Friday, where he benefited from a “special remission,” the Department of Correctional services announced.
In June 2021, the Constitutional Court sentenced Zuma to 15 months in prison for contempt of court after he defied a Constitutional Court order to appear before the State Capture Inquiry Commission.
However, just two months later, he was released on medical parole. The High Court and then the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) later concluded that his release was unlawful.
But that decision left it to Corrections Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale to decide whether the time Zuma spent on medical parole should still count as time served.
In a press briefing with Minister of Justice and Correctional services Ronald Lamola, Thobakgale said he made the decision to exonerate Zuma from what remains of his sentence by exercising his discretion granted by the Supreme Court of appeal.
The prospect of Zuma returning to prison has raised fears of a repeat of the 2021 unrest that followed his initial incarceration.
In July this year, South Africa was plagued by unprecedented violence and riots, causing more than 450 deaths and property damage estimated at three billion dollars.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.