Just In: Jacob Zuma is finally free but will remain in hospital
Correctional Services says former President Jacob Zuma will remain in hospital.
Zuma who was serving a 15-month jail sentence for contempt of court after ignoring a Constitutional Court order to appear before the State Capture Commission was granted medical parole on Sunday because of ill-health. He was admitted to the hospital soon after his incarceration on July 8.
Spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo says the decision was taken after considering Zuma’s medical reports.
Nxumalo says, “There are conditions attached to it that he’ll have to comply with but for now we must indicate that he remains in the hospital up until such time that doctors discharge him then he can be taken home where he will continue to receive medical care. But a decision had to be taken looking at the medical reports that he had to be considered for medical parole.”
A statement from the Justice and Correctional Services Department says that the medical parole’s eligibility for the former President “is impelled by a medical report received by the Department of Correctional Services. Apart from being terminally ill and physically incapacitated, inmates suffering from an illness that severely limits their daily activity or self-care can also be considered for medical parole.”
The former President will be expected to abide by some of the conditions during his parole.
“Medical parole placement for Mr Zuma means that he will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he must comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires.”
Just In: Jacob Zuma is finally free but will remain in hospital
However, in the wake of his parole opposition parties have questioned the basis of Zuma parole. DA Leader John Steenhuisen says they will call the National Commissioner of Correctional Service Arthur Fraser to answer on his department’s decision to release former President Jacob Zuma on medical parole.
Zuma, who was serving a 15-month- jail sentence for contempt of court after ignoring a Constitutional Court to appear before the State Capture Commission, was granted medical parole because of ill-health earlier this afternoon.
He was hospitalised shortly after his incarceration on 8 July. Correctional Services earlier said that the former president had undergone surgery and that more medical procedures are expected to follow. Steenhuisen says the decision is more political than based on medical reasoning.
“The president (Cyril Ramaphosa) should have had the backbone to offer a presidential pardon, rather than going to the charade to like we have seen with Shabir Shaik, who is still fit and well today, but he was given medical parole many, many years ago, when it was clear that there was no real case to be made.”