South Africa: Jacob Zuma briefly jailed, quickly released
August 11, 2023
The former president's legal issues have taken yet another turn after he was released straight after reporting to prison. Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in 2021.
Jacob Zuma was released from shortly after his "admission into the system," prison officials saidImage: Kim Ludbrook/Pool/AP/picture alliance
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Jacob Zuma, the scandal-ridden former president of South Africa, returned to prison on Friday after almost a year, only to be immediately released.
Following a court order, the former president reported to the Estcourt detention facility northwest of Durban, where he was "admitted into the system," South Africa's prison system said.
However, Correctional Services national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale told a press conference that the 81-year-old Zuma was released almost immediately as part of a "remission process" that he said was due to overcrowding in prison.
"Upon admission into the system, he was subjected to administrative processes," Thobakgale said. He was then released,"
In and out of prison
Zuma's judicial saga began when he was called to testify before a panel investigating corruption during his nine-year stint as president.
However, he refused to take part and was subsequently sentenced to 15 months for defying a court order.
Zuma handed himself over to the prison services in July 2021. His imprisonment sparked violent protests that led to the deaths of over 300 people.
Deadly unrest in South Africa — in pictures
More than 70 people have died after demonstrators took to the street of South Africa to protest the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma. It rapidly escalated into looting and riots.
Image: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
Arrest of Jacob Zuma
The unrest began in the form of protests against the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma last week. He was sentenced to jail for defying a constitutional court order to give evidence at an inquiry investigating high-level corruption during his nine years in office until 2018.
Image: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
Protesters take to the streets
Zuma's core supporters, including many in KwaZuli-Natal, were moved to protest at the prominent anti-apartheid activist's sentence. They say he is the victim of politically motivated harassment by allies of his successor, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The protests quickly devolved into rioting and, in some cases, looting.
Image: Sumaya Hisham/Reuters
Shops looted and burned
Protesters set fire to Brookside mall in Pietermaritzburg, the capital of KwaZulu-Natal, after looting it. The bodies of 10 people were found after a stampede at a shopping mall in Soweto, a township in the Gauteng, the other province marred by violence in recent days.
Image: Rogan Ward/Reuters
Frustration over inequality and poverty
Protesters burn tires to block the roads during a protest in Peacevale, west of Durban. Many people are also frustrated by inequality and poverty in South Africa, which have been exacerbated because of severe restrictions imposed to restrict the spread of the coronavirus. The country has recorded over 2 million COVID-19 infections.
Image: Rogan Ward/Reuters
Military brought in
A member of South Africa's military patrols the streets in Soweto. Authorities in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have brought in the military to assist local law enforcement agencies in quelling the unrest, but instances of rioting and looting continue to take place.
Image: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
No end in sight
A protester is detained by authorities in Katlehong. Even as 2,500 soldiers were sent in to help the overwhelmed police force, they were spread thin. With no end in sight, President Ramaphosa called for calm. He said while the protests may have started with political grievances, "opportunistic" criminal elements had taken over.
This release was deemed illegal by an appeals court several months later, a decision which itself was appealed by the country's prison service. But last month, South Africa's constitutional court upheld the previous court's decision, ordering Zuma to return to jail.
