In South Africa, the news caused surprise. Former President Jacob Zuma spent his first night in jail. Sentenced last week by the Constitutional Court to 15 months in prison for contempt for justice, he was finally detained on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, July 8, when the ultimatum to surrender to the police ceased.
However, Jacob Zuma, once nicknamed “Teflon” for his perseverance before justice, tried until the last minute to escape prison. It’s finally in the Escourt Prison in KwaZulu-Natal that he was imprisoned on Thursday.
He was placed in quarantine for 14 days, say prison services due to the Covid-19 epidemic. The Minister of Justice who visited him yesterday afternoon simply indicated that he was in a good mood and that he did not receive any preferential treatment.
Early release, opening?
The former president must serve a 15-month sentence for contempt for justice, but he will be entitled to early release in three or four months. But will he stay in jail until then?
Jacob Zuma still had to go to the Constitutional Court to reconsider his sentence on Monday 12 July due to his age: 79 years.
The prison of the former president – obsessed with a series of corruption scandals – is a first in the country. It is seen above all as a real test for the institutions of this young democracy.
This arrest sends a positive message to South African society and to the rest of the world that our young democracy is maturing and that the rule of law prevails in our country. If you can arrest a former president, that means there is no other person who can be above the law. For most observers of political life, this prison is a sign of the good health of South African democracy.
Prince Mashele, South African political analyst
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