Former South African President Zuma Released From Prison On Medical Probation

South Africa’s jailed former President Jacob Zuma has been released on medical probation due to poor health, the government’s department of correctional services said on Sunday.

Last month, prison authorities said that Zuma, who was serving a 15-month sentence in Estcourt prison for contempt of court, underwent unspecified surgery at an outside hospital where he had been sent for observation. He remained in the hospital with more operations planned.

The 79-year-old man’s eligibility for medical parole follows a medical report received by the Department of Correctional Services, he said in a statement.

“The placement on medical probation for Mr. Zuma means that he will complete the remainder of the sentence in the community corrections system, so he must meet a specific set of conditions and will be subject to supervision until his sentence expires,” he added the Department.

His spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo said that Zuma, who was jailed in early July, was still in hospital but was able to return home to continue receiving medical care. He did not elaborate on Zuma’s illness, his probation conditions or whether his health had deteriorated since the surgery.

Mzwanele Manyi, a spokesperson for the Jacob Zuma Foundation, said she appreciated the parole board’s decision and that a more detailed statement would be issued after consulting with Zuma’s legal team.

Zuma was jailed for defying a Constitutional Court order to testify in an investigation investigating high-level corruption during his nine years in office through 2018.

When Zuma surrendered on July 7, protests by his supporters escalated into riots involving looting and burning that President Cyril Ramaphosa described as an “insurrection.”

(REUTERS)