Correctional Services Officials Vow to Treat Jacob Zuma Like a Normal Inmate, No Special Treatment
- Correctional Services officials have made it clear that former President Jacob Zuma will not be getting any special treatment while in prison
- Zuma is currently under 14-day isolation at the Estcourt Correctional Services Facility while his health is being assessed by doctors
- Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola says Zuma will be treated with dignity
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After the previous speculation that former President Jacob Zuma will be given preferential treatment in prison, prison officials have vowed to treat Zuma like any other ordinary prisoner.
Zuma was arrested right before deadline in accordance with the Constitutional Court's order for his arrest. He was found in contempt of court and given a 15-month prison sentence.
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It was believed that since Zuma is a high-profile individual he would be given special treatment, however, prison officials say that Zuma will not be given any favours, according to News24.
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This means that he will not be allowed to have any visitors, he will not have access to a cellphone and he will not be given private security.
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola issued a statement on Thursday saying that Zuma's security will be handled by the officials of Correctional Services according to Mail & Guardian.
“All security arrangements of the [former] president will be taken care of by correctional services. There won’t be any bodyguards or special security designated for the [former] president,” said Lamola.
Zuma is currently being held at the Estcourt Correctional Facility and will be transferred to the Westville prison at a later stage.
Lamola also stated that Zuma is being kept in isolation for 14 days while his health is being assessed. He is also being kept in isolation in line with Covid-19 regulations, according to eNCA.
Lamola also assured South Africans that the former president will be handled with dignity while imprisoned in accordance with his Constitutional rights.
Zuma may be paroled in under 4 months behind bars, says Minister Ronald Lamola
Briefly News previously reported that with Jacob Zuma now incarcerated at Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), the former president will be eligible for early release after serving a quarter of his 15-month sentence.
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola confirmed the decision to parole Zuma at a future date during a media briefing outside the facility on Thursday.
According to reports, Zuma began his sentence on Thursday after he handed himself to authorities an hour before the deadline for his arrest was executed at his Nkandla homestead in the northern KZN district of uThungulu.
"In his case, there is no stipulation for a non-parole period. This means that the former president will be eligible for parole once a quarter of his sentence has been served," said Lamola.
The minister said Zuma will be allowed to serve his prison sentence without bias or prejudice. He also confirmed that medical parole is not off the table should it be a proven requirement.
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Source: Briefly News
