South Africans have been in a state of mixed reactions after South Africa’s former President, Jacob Zuma, was sentenced to 15 months in prison by the highest court of the land.
The former President has been given five days to hand himself to the police. According to the court, if he fails to do so, “the Police Minister must order his arrest”.
The jail sentence comes after the Constitutional Court found him guilty of contempt for defying its order to appear at an investigation into corruption while he was President.
Following this, some South Africans have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the sentencing of the Ex-President. Some people are of the view that this is a clear example of the famous saying “no one is above the law”. According to them, the Judge exercised her power and demonstrated that the laws in South Africa work. They further stated that it was about time the former president is arrested.
Meanwhile, some who are sympathizers of Jacob Zuma noted that it is very wrong to convict the former President. According to them, he has helped the country to grow especially in economic terms. Therefore, he should be considered.
More so, some averred that they can confidently say that “the former President Jacob Zuma won’t serve that sentence”.
Some also took the opportunity to troll Jacob Zuma. They noted that he is going to serve his sentence virtually since South Africa is on lockdown due to the pandemic. Some reactions on social media read:
Former President Jacob Zuma accused of corruption
This is the first time in South Africa’s history that a former President has been sentenced to prison.
Jacob Zuma’s time in power, which ended in 2018, was dogged by graft allegations. It was alleged that some businessmen were conspiring with politicians to influence the decision-making process.
The former President only made one appearance at the investigation into what has become known as “state capture” but then refused to appear subsequently.
The investigation which is headed by Justice Raymond Zondo then asked the Constitutional Court to intervene.
Acting Chief Justice, Sisi Khampepe noted that Mr. Zuma refused to come to the court to explain his actions. She also added that “Mr.Zuma is in contempt of court. Mr. Zuma was served with the order and it is impossible to conclude anything other than that he was unequivocally unaware of what was required of him. Mr. Zuma failed to appear and give evidence before the commission.
“I am left with no option but to commit Mr. Zuma to imprisonment, with the hope that doing so sends an unequivocal message… the rule of law and the administration of justice prevails.”
The former President was not in court to hear the majority ruling and has repeatedly declared that he was the victim of a giant political conspiracy.
Well according to some reports, “this jail sentence marks a dramatic turning point for a man who was last in prison half a century ago, for his role in South Africa’s liberation struggle”.
Meanwhile, in May this year, Jacob Zuma pleaded not guilty in his corruption trial involving a 5 billion arms deal from the 1990s.
Ex-President Zuma is alleged to have received bribes from a French arms firm via his financial adviser in order to protect Thales from scrutiny.
He was first charged in 2005, but a trial has never come to fruition due to many challenges, other technicalities, and backing from a strong party within the ANC. But the arms deal, among other scandals, dogged his presidency.
In 2018, the Supreme Court backed the decision that charges be reinstated and now, the former President faces 16 counts of corruption, racketeering, fraud, and money laundering. In total, he is accused of accepting 783 illegal payments.
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