The South African Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that ex-President Jacob Zuma's early release on medical parole was "illegal" and that he must go back to prison to complete his sentence for contempt of court.
Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison last year for omitting to show up for a government investigation into widespread malfeasance during his nearly ten years as president (which ended in 2018 with the election of the current Cyril Ramaphosa to succeed him).
In September 2021, Zuma was granted medical parole, and a few months later, he was released from prison. However, the Supreme Court overturned the parole decision in December and returned him to prison.
A judge decided on Zuma's appeal on Monday, one month after the department of corrections services asserted that his prison term had ended.
In other words, Mr Zuma’s term has yet to expire under the law. According to the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling, he must return to the Escourt Correctional Centre.
The Department of Justice argued that Zuma’s sentence had expired while his appeal was still being heard, but the court rejected that argument.
It also concluded that the former national commissioner of correctional services had acted illegally when he granted Zuma medical parole against the advice of the Medical Parole Advisory Board.
The commissioner’s ruling was invalid and violated the Constitution on every possible ground. The verdict ruled the high court was correct to throw it out.
A message left with the Jacob Zuma Foundation went unanswered for some time. The department of correctional services has said that it is reviewing the ruling and will issue a response later.