The Gauteng High Court has ordered South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma to return to prison after ruling that he was unlawfully granted medical parole. He was placed on medical parole by the National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Arthur Fraser.
Jacob Zuma is a former South African politician president from 2009 to 2018. In July 2021, the constitutional court had found him guilty of contempt for failing to appear before a commission investigating corruption accusations.
The court has ordered Correctional services to take Zuma back to prison to resume his 15-month sentence.
Analysts have commented that the decision is unfair and unjust since he was illegally imprisoned without trial in the first place. The political party DA challenged the parole.
The EFF says former president Jacob Zuma’s return to jail will serve no purpose. The party has labeled the judgment of the High Court in Pretoria that Zuma continues serving his sentence as political revenge.
Zuma’s lawyers also contend that Matojane was wrong to use a Sunday Times article on Zuma’s post-release visit to a casino as a basis to find that he was not terminally ill or incapacitated “and seems to be leading a normal life.”
Moreover, Zuma’s lawyers have argued that Matojane’s order that he return to prison “amounts to cruel and degrading punishment with no due regard to the patient’s healthcare, dignity and other human rights. It is the antithesis of Ubuntu”.
Zuma seeks to appeal Matojane’s entire ruling in either the Supreme Court of Appeal or a Full Bench of the High Court.
There are laughable fears that people may start protesting and looting again, like when Zuma was arrested in July. Nevertheless, Jacob Zuma is a darling to many South Africans. This ruling also comes after he had just released his long-awaited book.