Jacob Zuma: Former South African president surrenders to police

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The move ended days of intense speculation about whether the police and the former president would comply with the country’s constitutional court to arrest and jail Zuma.

Zuma, who served as South Africa’s president from 2009 to 2018, was given until July 4 to turn himself in to the police. If he fails to show up, police have been given until the end of Wednesday to arrest and bring the 79-year-old.

Just before the midnight deadline expired, Zuma was admitted to Estcourt Correctional Center near his home in KwaZulu-Natal province, according to the Department of Correctional Services.

“The former President of South Africa, Mr. Jacob Zuma, was on July 7, 2021, in the custody of the South African Police Service, in compliance with the ruling of the Constitutional Court,” Police Department spokesperson Lirandzo Themba said in a statement.

Zuma was convicted of contempt of court and sentenced to 15 months in prison on June 29, a historic step in the country’s longstanding corruption saga.

It stemmed from Zuma’s refusal to appear before the Anti-Corruption Commission to answer questions about his alleged involvement in corruption during his presidency.

Zuma has repeatedly denied the long-running corruption allegations against him. It is a very symbolic moment that the former president and main figure of the African National Congress (ANC), who spent ten years in prison with anti-apartheid hero and ex-President Nelson Mandela could spend a long time in prison.

However, his imprisonment may be short-lived.

On Friday, the Supreme Court judge will issue a decision on whether police should wait to bring him until after the Constitutional Court hearing, scheduled for July 12, when his lawyers will discuss the extenuating circumstances in his sentence.

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