Earlier today, IOL’s political bureau incorrectly reported that the Constitutional Court has backtracked on its decision that former president Jacob Zuma must hand himself over to the SAPS to begin his prison term on Sunday. We regret the error. Here is the corrected story.
The Constitutional Court has agreed to hear former president Jacob Zuma’s application to rescind its decision to send him to jail.
This comes after days of uncertainty on whether he would start serving his sentence at the Westville prison on Sunday.
But the Concourt said on Saturday Zuma’s hearing will be heard on July 12.
This would allow him to stay away from prison until the matter is finalised by the apex court.
In his papers filed in the Concourt, Zuma said there were valid grounds for him not to go to jail.
“I am advised that before I walk through the prison doors to serve my sentence as the first direct prisoner of the Constitutional Court under our Constitutional democracy, it will not be futile to make one last attempt to invite the Constitutional Court to relook its decision and to merely reassess whether it has acted within the constitution or, erroneously, beyond the powers vested in the court by the constitution.
“The peculiarity and uniqueness of these unprecedented circumstances, the implications thereof on my personal freedom and the health challenges facing the country should all combine to militate in favour of the serious entertainment of this matter,” said Zuma in his papers.
It has been a day of drama with crowds gathering outside his home in Nkandla, with ANC leaders in KwaZulu-Natal also visiting him.
This comes after the party sent senior members of the national executive committee to deal with the situation.
The Concourt had ruled this week that Zuma must be sent to jail for 15 months for contempt of court.
Earlier today, IOL’s political bureau incorrectly reported that the Constitutional Court has backtracked on its decision that former president Jacob Zuma must hand himself over to the SAPS begin his prison term on Sunday. We regret the error. Here is the corrected story.
Political Bureau