South Africa’s Former President Zuma Placed On Medical Parole
Politics

South Africa’s Former President Zuma Placed On Medical Parole

On Sunday, South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma was placed on medical parole due to his ill health. He was jailed for defying a Constitutional Court order to give evidence on an inquiry investigating high-level corruption during his nine years in office. He was imprisoned in early July after he handed himself in on July7.

The government’s correctional services department announced on Sunday that the medical parole placement for the former president meant that he will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he must comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires. It was said in the statement that he is eligible for medical parole that follows a medical report received by the Department of Correctional Service.

The 79-year-old underwent unspecified surgery at an outside hospital where he had been sent for observation. He was serving a 15-month sentence in Estcourt prison for contempt court. Singabakho Nxumalo, a spokesman, gave no details on Zumba’s health or his parole conditions or regarding his health deteriorating since surgery. However, he said that he was still in the hospital but could not go home to continue receiving medical care.