Zuma extends stay in Russia as DA calls for him to be jailed

Former president Jacob Zuma is unlikely to be back in the country soon after he reportedly extended his stay in Russia.

Zuma was reportedly meant to return to South Africa on Tuesday but extended his trip.

The Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi in a WhatsApp message would not say when Zuma would be back in the country.

“I am getting a lot of enquiries about Zuma’s return from Russia. Am not sure how that information would add value in anyone’s life. So, I will not be responding to such enquiries,” he said.

Zuma gives SA the slip

Zuma flew to Moscow for “medical treatment”, just days after visiting Victoria Falls with his daughter Dudu Sambudla.

Last week, Manyi confirmed that the former president was unwell and seeking medical assistance in Russia.

The news came just a day after the Constitutional Court dismissed a bid to overturn the Supreme Court of Appeal’s (SCA) November 2022 ruling that the decision of former Correctional Services Commissioner Arthur Fraser to grant Zuma medical parole was unlawful and set aside.

Manyi would not say what Zuma was being treated for. “That is doctor and patient confidentiality,” he said.

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Go to jail

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said it believes the former president is extending his stay in Russia in anticipation of an adverse announcement from the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Makgothi Thobakgale.

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is yet to decide whether the former president should return to prison after the apex court judgment.

DA MP and shadow minister of justice and constitutional development Glynnis Breytenbach said the uncertainty which now surrounds the details of Zuma’s return to prison is “causing anxiety across the nation and must be brought to an end without further delay”.

“There is an urgent need for Jacob Zuma to return to jail, after he was found to have been in contempt of the Constitutional Court.

“The DA will be writing to the National Commissioner of Correctional Services to urge him to act swiftly in making a decision on his return to prison, and the timeline in which this will occur,” Breytenbach said.

Legal action

She said the DA will turn to the courts if the former president is not jailed.

“Should the final decision of the department be illegal or irregular, the DA will not hesitate to take further action to ensure that the judgment of the Constitutional Court is upheld, and that Zuma serves out the remainder of his term,” she said.

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