Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

South African court orders ex-president Jacob Zuma back to prison

In this frame grab former South Africa President Jacob Zuma, appears on a screen virtually from the correctional service facility Estcourt, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Monday July 19, 2021, where his corruption trial resumes. (South Africa Judiciary via AP) In this frame grab former South Africa President Jacob Zuma, appears on a screen virtually from the correctional service facility Estcourt, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Monday July 19, 2021, where his corruption trial resumes. (South Africa Judiciary via AP)
Share
JOHANNESBURG -

A South African court has ordered that former President Jacob Zuma should go back to prison after withdrawing the medical parole given to him earlier this year.

Zuma was released from prison in September after serving about two months of his 15-month sentence for defying a Constitutional Court order that he should testify before a state commission investigating allegations of corruption when he was president from 2009 to 2018.

On Wednesday the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled that the medical parole granted to Zuma was illegal as it went against the recommendation of the medical parole board. The court ruled that Zuma should go back to prison.

According to the ruling, the time that Zuma spent outside prison should not be counted as part of the sentence imposed by the court.

The ruling is a legal blow for Zuma, who is also facing corruption charges for allegedly receiving bribes during the country's controversial 1999 purchase of arms from French arms manufacturer Thales.

Zuma's imprisonment in July sparked protests by supporters who demanded his immediate pardon. The protests quickly descended into chaotic violence in which trucks were burned, shops and warehouses looted and burned. More than 300 people died in the country's worst violence since the end of apartheid in 1994. For more than a week the violence shook the Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces. Official statistics now estimate that the violence contributed to a 1.5% economic decline during that period.

The correctional services department will only comment after studying the judgment, department spokesman Singabakho Nxuma told The Associated Press.

Zuma's legal team is expected to appeal the decision but the Jacob Zuma Foundation has not yet spokesman Mzwanele Manyi could not be reached on Wednesday to indicate whether Zuma would appeal the ruling or would hand himself over to resume serving his sentence.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.