While ex-South African president Jacob Zuma and opposition Economic Freedom Front leader Julius Malema were “never close”, the former’s imprisonment “broke my heart”, Malema said in a TV report monitored here.
Zuma is serving a 15-month jail sentence at the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal province for contempt of court for refusing to testify before the Commission of Inquiry on State Capture.
Malema said despite his differences with Zuma, he was not happy about his prison sentence.
“Zuma’s arrest remains painful until today, worse for contempt of court when we have murderers who are not arrested or prosecuted,” the opposition leader said.
Malema added: “Do I want an 80-year-old man in prison? Hell, no. Do I want Zuma arrested? Yes. What form of arrest? House arrest because he is too old.”
He said he did not wish any harm on his enemies, even for Zuma, but he would have loved to see him treated more humane by being sentenced to house arrest.
“We have no prisons in South Africa. We have correctional services. We correct you and reintegrate you back into society,” Malema said.
He added: “How will we correct an 80-year-old man and reintegrate him back into society? So, Zuma is going to be a wasteful expenditure.”
He said he was “never close” to Zuma contrary to common belief.
NM/jn/APA