https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230811/south-africas-ex-president-zuma-quickly-released-after-reporting-to-prison-1061249117.html
South Africa's Ex-President Zuma Quickly Released After Reporting to Prison
South Africa's Ex-President Zuma Quickly Released After Reporting to Prison
Sputnik Africa
South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma reported back to prison on Friday only to be swiftly released, in a government arrangement that also frees thousands... 11.08.2023, Sputnik Africa
2023-08-11T14:09+0200
2023-08-11T14:09+0200
2023-08-11T14:09+0200
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In the latest twist arising from a sentence for contempt of court, Zuma was ordered to report back to jail, arriving at 6:00 am (04:00 GMT) at a detention facility in the eastern town of Estcourt, the prison service said.There, he was "admitted into the system" only to be released in just over an hour as part of a "remission process" to ease prison overcrowding, according to the national commissioner of correctional services, Makgothi Thobakgale.He started serving his term in July 2021, sparking protests that descended into riots and looting that reportedly left more than 350 dead. But after two months he was freed on medical parole for an undisclosed condition.In November last year, an appeals court found the release was illegally granted and ordered Zuma back to the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal province. South Africa's prison service, which had granted Zuma's conditional release, appealed the decision, but the bid was dismissed by the Constitutional Court last month.Thobakgale said the ex-president had been ordered to return to jail on Friday in compliance with the ruling. But Zuma immediately benefited from a remission of non-violent offenders approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said.Mzwanele Manyi, a spokesman for Zuma's foundation, said the ex-president was "at home" and consulting with his legal team.The decision was met with outrage by some opposition parties and skepticism from the press, with Thobakgale and Lamola facing a barrage of questions over the timing of the remission process, which began on Friday.The Democratic Alliance, South Africa's opposition party, said it would seek legal action, adding Zuma's release was a "monumental insult to each and every South African."Zuma is a senior member of the ruling African National Congress, in power since the end of white-minority rule in 1994. He served as president from 2009 to 2018 before being forced out over graft allegations.Besides his 2021 contempt-of-court conviction, Zuma is facing separate charges of corruption in an arms procurement scandal dating to the late 1990s, when he was the vice president.
https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230803/ex-south-african-president-zuma-back-home-after-medical-treatment-in-russia-1061005121.html
https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230713/south-africas-zuma-must-return-to-jail-for-contempt-court-rules-1060516415.html
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South Africa's Ex-President Zuma Quickly Released After Reporting to Prison
Agence France Presse (AFP)
South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma reported back to prison on Friday only to be swiftly released, in a government arrangement that also frees thousands of other non-violent offenders.
In the latest twist arising from a sentence for contempt of court, Zuma was ordered to report back to jail, arriving at 6:00 am (04:00 GMT) at a detention facility in the eastern town of Estcourt, the prison service said.
There, he was "admitted into the system" only to be released in just over an hour as part of a "remission process" to ease prison overcrowding, according to the national commissioner of correctional services, Makgothi Thobakgale.
"Upon admission into the system he was subjected to administrative processes [...]. He was then released," Thobakgale told a press conference in Pretoria.
Zuma, 81, was sentenced to 15 months in June 2021 after refusing to testify before a panel probing financial corruption and cronyism under his presidency.
He started serving his term in July 2021, sparking protests that descended into riots and looting that reportedly left more than 350 dead. But after two months he was freed
on medical parole for an undisclosed condition.
In November last year, an appeals court found the release was illegally granted and ordered Zuma back to the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal province. South Africa's prison service, which had granted Zuma's conditional release, appealed the decision, but the bid was dismissed by the Constitutional Court last month.
Thobakgale said the ex-president had been ordered
to return to jail on Friday in compliance with the ruling. But Zuma immediately benefited from a remission of non-violent offenders approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said.
Mzwanele Manyi, a spokesman for Zuma's foundation, said the ex-president was "at home" and consulting with his legal team.
The decision was met with outrage by some opposition parties and skepticism from the press, with Thobakgale and Lamola facing a barrage of questions over the timing of the remission process, which began on Friday.
Lamola said the "exercise of exploring special remission" started in April, and more than 24,000 inmates, about two-thirds of them currently under correctional supervision and parole, would be released under the process.
The move "will alleviate overcrowding" which "poses a direct threat to inmate health, security, and management, and it could lead to a surge in gangsterism," the minister said.
The Democratic Alliance, South Africa's opposition party, said it would seek legal action, adding Zuma's release was a "monumental insult to each and every South African."
Zuma is a senior member of the ruling African National Congress, in power since the end of white-minority rule in 1994. He served as president from 2009 to 2018 before being forced out over graft allegations.
Besides his 2021 contempt-of-court conviction, Zuma is facing
separate charges of corruption in an arms procurement scandal dating to the late 1990s, when he was the vice president.
