South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has been given a reprieve from returning to prison, as the prison officials have cited to overcrowding.
Zuma, had been sentenced to 15 months in jail for contempt of court, and he had turned himself in to the authorities on Friday, August 11.
Zuma had previously, been set free on a medical parole, a move that has been tagged illegal by the law courts.
But in a new turn of events, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, stated that Zuma had been given a reduction in sentence, to tackle overcrowding in prisons.
This decision was made to alleviate strain on the prison system by releasing low-risk offenders.
Makgothi Thobakgale, South Africa’s Commissioner of Prisons had said that Zuma had arrived at the Estcourt Correctional Facility in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal on Friday morning and was “given entry” into the system, before he was released an hour later.
Zuma’s remission status was endorsed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who had also granted more than 9,000 low-risk prisoners remission.
The remission process began in April.
Zuma’s imprisonment in 2021 incited protests and riots that left over 350 people dead.
He was sentenced to prison after declining to testify before a panel investigating financial sleaze and cronyism under his presidency.
However, Zuma was set free two months into his prison sentence on the grounds of medical parole.
An appeals court had in November 2022, found the the ex-president’s release was unlawfully granted and ordered Zuma back to prison to finish his sentence.
The constitutional court in July, rejected Zuma’s attempt to overturn this decision.
