Jacob Zuma Is in Custody, Department of Correctional Services Confirms
- The Department of Corrections Services confirmed that former president Jacob Zuma is in their custody
- In a statement issued shortly after midnight, the DCS stated that Zuma would be taken through the same process as any new inmate
- The Jacob Zuma Foundation had issued a statement stating that Zuma would be handing himself to the police, which he did
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The Jacob Zuma Foundation issued a statement shortly before midnight on Wednesday in which they stated that the former president Jacob Zuma would be handing himself over to the police.
"Please be advised that President Zuma has decided to comply with the incarceration order. He is on his way to hand himself into a Correctional Services Facility in KZN," read the statement.
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The Department of Correctional Services(DCS) then issued a statement after midnight confirming that Zuma was taken into custody just before the deadline of the Constitutional Court, according to The Citizen.
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The statement by the DCS said that Zuma would be guided through the entire admissions procedure in accordance with DCS norms for new inmates. The DCS also said that they could not give details about Zuma's prison conditions yet.
The statement further went on to say that the police would release a full statement at a later time.
Zuma handed himself over to the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal and will now begin to serve his 15-month sentence for being in contempt of court, according to EWN.
Zuma initially had until Sunday to hand himself over to the police as per the Constitutional Court order. This gave the police a deadline of Wednesday to arrest Zuma. If the police failed to arrest Zuma by the deadline they could also face contempt charges.
Jacob Zuma: The 1st democratically elected president of SA to be arrested
Briefly News recently reported that Jacob Zuma is the first democratically elected president to be incarcerated. The national spokesperson for the ruling party, Pule Mabe, stated that Zuma's decision to hand himself over to the police was a display of leadership.
The ANC has commended Msholozi for taking the initiative to hand himself over. According to reports, President Cyril Ramaphosa was asked if he would be speaking on the issue and he said there was no need to do so. Ramaphosa stated that the ruling party should not overexert itself on the matter so that courts may work independently.
Just after the ruling involving Zuma's contempt case, thousands of supporters and some members of the ANC gathered outside his home. This included members from the NEC such as Lindiwe Sisulu, Ace Magashule and KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala.
A report by EWN stated that the Jacob Zuma Foundation sent a letter of confirmation at 11:47pm that Zuma had decided to comply with the order of incarceration.
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Source: Briefly News
