Jacob Zuma, the former President of South Africa, has to serve a sentence of 15 months in prison. For this he has handed himself over to the police.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma (File Photo)
Former South African President Jacob Zuma has handed himself over to the authorities to execute a 15-month prison sentence sentenced to him for contempt of court. The Supreme Court sentenced Zuma to 15 months in prison for contempt of court. Just minutes before the police were to arrest him late Wednesday, Zuma handed himself over to the authorities. Zuma was convicted of contempt by the Supreme Court for not appearing before the commission probing corruption charges during his tenure.
Jacob Zuma has repeatedly said that he would rather go to jail than cooperate with the commission. Zuma (79) is accused of looting government revenue while in office for nearly nine years between 2009 and 2018. The Constitutional Court had asked Zuma to be ready by Wednesday to hand himself over to the authorities or be arrested by the police. Zuma’s legal team moved the High Court on Tuesday to quash the Constitutional Court’s decision. The High Court will hear the matter on Friday, but law experts say the chances of a verdict in Zuma’s favor are slim, as the High Court cannot overturn the Supreme Court’s decision.
Handed himself over to the police 45 minutes before his arrest
According to the news, a convoy of vehicles came out of Zuma’s house in Kandla in KwaZulu-Natal province. The convoy left from there about 45 minutes before the deadline for the police to arrest them. His supporters, led by Zuma’s son, Edward, had gathered outside his residence for days to prevent police from arresting the former president. Edward had reportedly been telling reporters for the past few days that the police would be able to arrest his father only after killing him.
Clashes broke out between police and Zuma supporters
At the same time, ‘Jacob Zuma Foundation’ confirmed Zuma’s going to jail, but did not give any detailed information in this regard. Minutes later, police tweeted, “The Ministry of Police confirms that former President Jacob Zuma has been held in police custody, in compliance with the order of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. For the past few days, there was also a clash between his supporters standing outside Zuma’s house and the police. Because of this, the police was also forced to retaliate. Some of Zuma’s supporters also came armed with weapons, who opened fire in the air.
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