The former president of South Africa shows his discontent with the jail sentence while armed supporters gather outside his home.
On Tuesday, former president, Jacob Zuma, was sentenced by the constitutional court for failing to attend a hearing in February for an inquiry led by Deputy Chief of Justice, Raymond Zondo. He was sentenced for a 15-month jail term. However, on Saturday, it was agreed to hear his challenge to the jail term and hence suspending the sentence until after hearing on the 12 of July.
The former president viewed the sentence as ‘ South Africa is fast sliding back to the apartheid rule.’ He was at his house at Nklandla, in a rural part of Kwazulu Natal province when he stated, “The fact that I was lambasted with a punitive jail sentence without trial should engender shock in all those who believe in freedom and the rule of law.” Thousands of these supporters have gathered ag his home, some heavily armed, ready to prevent his arrest.
The severity of this sentence shows that the once revered and honoured veteran who fought against white minority rule has now become a person who has been involved in many scandals since he embarked on the presidential route in 2009 and 2018.
Earlier on Sunday, Zuma declared, “I fought and went to prison so there must be justice and the rule of law. No honest person can accuse me of being against the law.”
In 2018, Zuma had given in to pressure and stepped down as president and yielded his power to Ramaphosa. Since the legal woes of the former president had undertaken to create division between the ruling African National Congress between him and Ramaphosa whilst he was facing inquiries for allegations of corruption during his time as president and before.
Three Indian businessman are currently under investigation
Three Indian businessman – Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta – are currently under investigation by the Zondo commission as to whether they were allowed by the former president to plunder state resources and if they had any influence over government policy. The brothers who had fled to Dubai when Zuma lost his position denied any responsibilities to the allegations. Zuma is also facing another court case where he is involved in a $2 billion arms deal in 1999 when he was the vice president. He denied the charges and stated that he is the target of a political witch hunt and claimed that Zondo was partial towards the government. Zuma declared, “Judge Zondo began to … treat me unfairly and with bias.”
On Sunday, some of his supporters fired their weapons into the air while others came armed with spears and other traditional weapons of the Zuma’s Zulu nation.
