S.Africa's ex-President Zuma could be out in 4 months, says justice
minister
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[July 08, 2021]
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South
Africa's former president Jacob Zuma, who has been in police detention
since Wednesday night as he starts a 15-month prison sentence for
contempt, will be eligible for parole after around four months, the
justice minister said.
Zuma turned himself in to police to begin his jail term for defying a
court order to attend an inquiry into corruption while he was in power
from 2009 to 2018.
The ability of authorities to bring Zuma to book has been seen as a
major test of the rule of law is post-Apartheid South Africa.
Zuma will be held in isolation for 14 days in line with COVID-19
protocols, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said on Thursday.
"This is not a moment of celebration or triumphalism, it is a moment of
restraint and to be human," he said, promising to treat Zuma like any
other inmate.
Zuma was admitted overnight to the Estcourt Correctional Centre, about
175 km (110 miles) from his rural homestead in Nkandla in eastern South
Africa.
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Former South African President Jacob Zuma speaks to supporters after
appearing in the High Court where he faces charges that include
fraud, corruption and racketeering, in Pietermaritzburg, South
Africa, October 15, 2019. REUTERS/Rogan Ward/File Photo
Zuma denies there was widespread corruption and had
thus far not cooperated with the legal process against him,
maintaining that he was the victim of a political witch-hunt.
(Reporting by Wendell RoelfWriting by Promit Mukherjee and Tim
CocksEditing by Mark Potter and Giles Elgood)
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