South Africa’s High Court has ordered that former president Jacob Zuma, who was freed on medical parole from jail, must return to prison to complete his 15-month sentence, APA learnt on Wednesday.
A legal team appointed by the state which was given access to Zuma’s medical records deemed that he was fit to stand trial, Prosecutor Billy Downer said.
“The decision of the first respondent (Mr. Arthur Fraser) to place the third respondent on medical parole taken on 5 September 2021 is reviewed, declared unlawful, and set aside,” the High Court judgment said.
“It is hereby directed the third respondent be returned to the custody of the Ministry of Correctional Services to serve out the remainder of his sentence of imprisonment,” the High Court said.
“It is declared the time the third respondent (Zuma) was out of jail on medical parole should not be counted for the fulfilment of the third respondent’s sentence of 15 months imposed by the Constitutional Court,” the court added.
Zuma was jailed in July for contempt of court when he defied the Constitutional Court’s ruling requesting him to attend the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture at its meetings in Johannesburg.
The move to lock up the former president angered his supporters, who went on a rampage of trashing business districts and private property in KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng Provinces for two weeks, overwhelming the police who were called in to quell the riots.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced to bring in 25,000 troops to assist the police end the looting and fighting that ended the lives of over 300 people at a cost of over $2 billion.
There was no date set for Zuma, who is now in his home village of Nkandla in KwaZulu Natal, to return to his prison cell.
NM/as/APA