Former South African President Jacob Zuma believes it is far from uhuru.Zuma had been granted medical parole thanks to the influence of one of his closest allies, former police chief Arthur Fraser.
However, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has faulted the decision to grant medical parole to the former president. It described it as “irrational” and “unconstitutional.” It ruled that the former president should go back to jail.
This is how things have played out from the beginning: The constitutional court had found Zuma guilty of contempt of court after he was asked to appear before the State Capture Commission, also known as the Zondo Commission, but he declined to.
He was handed a 15-month sentence for contempt of court. He initially resisted, with some of his military loyalists threatening trouble should the SAPS invade Nkandla to arrest him. Well, along the line, Zuma handed himself over to begin his 15-month sentence.
Two months into that sentence, though, he was granted parole by Fraser, who was then police chief. The parole had sparked debate at the time. But with the Supreme Court of Appeal’s current ruling, Zuma’s return to the slammer appears certain. It remains to be seen how things will actually play out.
