Jacob Zuma has been imprisoned since last Wednesday, July 7. The 79-year-old former South African president is expected to serve 15 months in prison for contempt for justice.
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Jacob Zuma has stubbornly refused to answer questions from a commission of inquiry into corruption. The Constitutional Court is reviewing its sentence on Monday, July 12, when the trial triggered violence in the country and forced the army to deploy.
It is a technical litigation debate that is still going on between the lawyer of the former president and the judges of the Constitutional Court. The hearing is held online, broadcast live on the internet. Background to determine whether it is legal for Jacob Zuma to perform imprisonment, without a trial having taken place, the case went directly to the country’s highest court.
The defense has repeatedly reminded that Jacob Zuma’s rights must be respected just like all other citizens and questions the procedure. Is it normal for Jacob Zuma to go straight to jail without even being tried and arguing on several occasions about “” errors “and” irregularities “? An argument with the ultimate goal of getting the release of the former president.
For its part, the Constitutional Court recalled that if the former president is currently in prison, it is indeed because he refused to participate in a commission of inquiry. So far managed to escape escape by appealing.
Violence, looting, fires
But this case now goes beyond the simple framework of the courtroom. In KwaZulu-Natal, violence erupted since Friday, July 9, and spread to Johannesburg. Originally, it was the prison of the former president that provoked this violence. But very quickly the demonstrations deteriorated to looting and arson. Economic desperation and frustration over the restrictions imposed by a third wave of Covid-19 have greatly worsened the situation.
In response, the army was deployed in these two regions. In a statement released on Monday, the government said that “the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) has begun deployment processes and procedures to assist law enforcement personnel deployed in the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu respectively. -Natal, to calm the unrest that has gripped the two provinces in recent days . ”
(With AFP)
