‘Need for Zuma to make more submissions about prison sentence bizarre’ – Manyi

The Jacob Zuma Foundation said it finds it “very bizarre” that former president Jacob Zuma needs to make more submissions to the Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale regarding his prison term.

This comes after the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) gave Zuma a 4^th August deadline to make submissions to Thobakgale as to why he should not return to prison to serve out the rest of his 15-month sentence.

Jailed

Zuma, who was jailed in July 2021 for defying a Constitutional Court order to appear at the Zondo Commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture, was released on medical parole in September 2021 by Arthur Fraser.

In July 2023, the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) dismissed the DCS’s appeal application relating to Zuma‘s release on parole, effectively placing the former president’s fate fate back into the hands of Thobakgale.

The commissioner now has to make the decision whether or not to send Zuma back to jail.

ALSO READ: Reports that ConCourt ordered Zuma to go back to jail are ‘malicious, misleading and hateful’

Zuma served his sentence

The Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson Mazwanele Manyi said Zuma made his submission last week and confirmed the decision taken by DCS in October 2022– that the former president has served out his full prison term.

He said Zuma had nothing further to add.

“The Foundation is suspicious that this sudden extension is probably occasioned by political interference of sorts, or the opposing parties need more time to counter the unassailable submission of H.E President Zuma.”

“The Foundation remains confident the decision announced in a media statement on the 7th of October 2022 by the Commissioner without any submissions from President Zuma was indeed the correct decision,” Manyi said.

“The statement was clear that H.E President Zuma was under the Correctional Services control from the 8th of July 2021 to the 7th of October 2022 as ordered by the Constitutional Court.”

Not a free man

Manyi added when Zuma was placed on medical parole by the DCS, “he was still “not a free man.”

“He could not even do the required African rituals ahead of the burying of his brother.  President Zuma was not even allowed to hold press briefings and had to report his movements to the designated Correctional Services Officer. No free person does this,” Manyi said.

ALSO READ: Zuma’s parole: Correctional Services suffers defeat as ConCourt dismisses appeal