South Africa’s High Court ordered former President Jacob Zuma to return to jail after setting aside the decision to release him on medical parole, a court judgement showed on Wednesday.
The 79-year old began medical parole in September, and is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court. Zuma handed himself in on July 7 to begin his prison sentence.
The High Court in Pretoria ordered that Zuma, 79, “be returned to the custody of the Department of Correctional Services” to serve out the remainder of his 15-month sentence.
Zuma, who was convicted of contempt of court earlier this year, was granted medical parole after serving less than two months in jail. The Helen Suzman Foundation challenged the decision.
The jailing of Zuma in July was the catalyst for the worst civil unrest in South Africa since the country’s first non-racial elections in 1994.
The violence left at least 354 people dead.
Zuma can appeal Wednesday’s ruling.
The rand traded 0.5% weaker at 16.1587 to the dollar by 10:37 a.m. in Johannesburg.
(Reuters/NAN)
=======================About Us======================
METROWATCH is an online daily newspaper founded in October 2013 by a seasoned reporter, Collins Edomaruse. He had risen to the position of General Editor in his 18 years stint at THISDAY newspaper, an appointment he resigned on October 30, 2013 to pursue his online newspaper publishing dream. Prior to his appointment as the newspaper’s General Editor, he had served, at various times, as Editor, Nation’s Capital; Group News Editor, Associate Editor, and Deputy Editor at different times for the newspaper’s three titles – Daily, Sunday and Saturday.
Edomaruse had covered education, sports, energy, national security, defence and transport beats among others. As a defence correspondent, Edomaruse traversed the war zones of both Liberia and Sierra-Leone in the dark days of Charles Taylor and Foday Sanko as warlords, which earned him the sobriquet “General” by his colleagues in the newsroom.
OUR MISSION
METROWATCH will act as a catalyst in our debate and desire for a crime-free Nigeria and provide the much-needed platform for all, irrespective of social, religious or political divide, to express their views.
OUR VISION
METROWATCH will strive to bring to the public domain issues of bad governance, dirty business, hostile neighborliness, security challenges and other crime issues that are always begging for attention in Nigeria.
We will pursue this course with every vigor in our drive for the TRUTH and FAIRNESS.
