South Africa’s ex-president is set to begin serving a 15- month sentence for contempt of court. The ex-president turned himself in on Wednesday. The Constitutional court last week handed Zuma a 15- Month term for snubbing anti-graft investigators, a judgement people described as a historic ruling.
The police force were prepared to arrest the former president following the midnight deadline by the ruling, unless the court states otherwise. The former president was said to have made his way to an unnamed prison in his home province of Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN).
Information regarding the ex-president’s arrest was tweeted by his foundation.
“Please be advised that ex-President Zuma has decided to comply with the incarceration order,” the foundation tweeted.
“He is on his way to hand himself into a Correctional Services Facility in KZN,” it said, just minutes before the deadline expired.
Zuma had mounted a last minute defense to upturn the ruling, where he pleaded with the court for an 11th hour reprieve. His first application to halt his arrest was heard on Tuesday but the judgement was reserved until Friday.
Zuma had refused to obey a court order to appear before a commission probing the siphoning off of state assets under his presidency.
The court however on June 29 issued a judgement against the president for contempt, and gave a deadline for his arrest for snubbing anti-graft investigators.
