Former president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma has handed himself over to authorities to commence serving a 15-month sentence he bagged for contempt of court, his foundation has disclosed.
Recall that the Constitution Court had in a historic judgement last week sentenced the country’s former leader to a 15-month term for ignoring anti-graft investigators.
Earlier on Wednesday, Police had warned they were prepared to arrest Zuma by midnight deadline to enforce the ruling unless the top court instructed otherwise, AFP reports.
But Zuma decided to make his way to an unnamed prison in his home province of Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN).
“Please be advised that (ex) President Zuma has decided to comply with the incarceration order,” the foundation tweeted.
“He is on his way to hand himself into a Correctional Services Facility in KZN,” it said, just minutes before the deadline expired.
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A convoy of cars believed to be carrying Zuma drove out of his homestead at high speed about 40 minutes before the cut-off time for him to give himself up.
Zuma had mounted a last-ditch legal defence and refused to turn himself in by Sunday night as the court-ordered. Under the ruling, police were given three days to arrest him if he failed to surrender.
He had pleaded with the court for an 11th-hour reprieve.
In an urgent request to the Constitutional Court late Wednesday, Zuma’s lawyers asked it to “direct the suspension of its orders… to prevent our client from being arrested prior to all legal processes being finalised”.
Zuma’s first application to halt his arrest was heard on Tuesday but the judgement was reserved until Friday.
Separately, he has pleaded with the Constitutional Court to reconsider and rescind its jail order. That challenge will be heard next Monday.
Zuma, 79, was forced out of office in 2018 and replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa after a nine-year tenure stained by corruption scandals and the taint of cronyism.
Source: SaharaReporters