FORMER President Jacob Zuma has been granted medical parole, the Department of Correctional Services confirmed on Sunday.
The Department of Correctional Services says the decision to grant Zuma medical parole was informed by a medical report it had received.
The 79-year-old former president is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court at the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal.
The nature of his illness was not specified, but a statement said that he would complete his sentence in the community under supervision.
Last month, Correctional Services authorities said Zuma underwent surgery and was in hospital awaiting further operations.
Zuma handed himself in to police in July after being sentenced for defying an instruction to give evidence at the State Capture Commission of Inquiry.
The DA said the granting of medical parole to Zuma by the Department of Correctional Services was entirely unlawful and makes a mockery of the Correctional Matters Amendment Act of 2011.
The party said following the debacle around the granting of unlawful medical parole to Schabir Shaik in 2009, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services unanimously supported the amendment of Section 79 of the Act to stipulate that:
“The Minister must establish a medical advisory board to provide an independent medical report to the National Commissioner, Correctional Supervision and Parole Board or the Minister, as the case may be, in addition to the medical report referred to in subsection (2)(c)”
This amendment was made to specifically ensure that the legislation could not be manipulated into granting parole on medical grounds to any prisoner not deserving of it, as was done for Schabir Shaik, the DA said in a statement.
“A report on the health status of any prisoner must be subject to recommendation by an independent board to confirm, in truth, that a prisoner is indeed deserving of medical parole. Given that Jacob Zuma publicly refused to be examined by an independent medical professional, let alone a medical advisory board, this decision is a violation of the Act and therefore unlawful,” the party added.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said the release of Zuma on medical parole should also be noted that it was granted by his former spy boss, Arthur Fraser – a man deeply implicated in the corruption of the State Security Agency and accused of running an illegal parallel intelligence structure.
Instead of firing him from his administration, President Cyril Ramaphosa promoted him to his current position of prisons boss, said Steenhuisen.
“I will be submitting an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) for the records of the Parole Board to establish what criteria the Department of Correctional Services used to determine Jacob Zuma’s eligibility for medical parole,” said Steenhuisen.
“I will also request that the Justice and Correctional Services Committee summon Arthur Fraser to explain to Parliament his decision to grant this medical parole in direct contravention of the Correctional Matters Amendment Act.”
Mmusi Maimane, the One South Africa movement leader, said the news that Zuma has been granted medical parole was a questionable one – considering that Zuma’s former spy boss, currently heads up Correctional Services as national commissioner.
He said his party will submit a formal application, in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, requesting the full record of decision that led to the Department of Correctional Services granting Zuma medical parole.
“The full disclosure of reasons behind the decision is the most prudent way to address any concerns, contradictions and conspiracies,” said Maimane.
“We cannot afford to go down the Jackie Selebi or Schabir Shaik path, whereby well-connected individuals are granted medical parole in dubious circumstances.”
Mmusi Maimane, the One South Africa movement leader, said the news that Zuma has been granted medical parole was a questionable one – considering that Zuma’s former spy boss, currently heads up Correctional Services as national commissioner.
He said his party will submit a formal application, in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, requesting the full record of decision that led to the Department of Correctional Services granting Zuma medical parole.
“The full disclosure of reasons behind the decision is the most prudent way to address any concerns, contradictions and conspiracies,” said Maimane.
“We cannot afford to go down the Jackie Selebi or Schabir Shaik path, whereby well-connected individuals are granted medical parole in dubious circumstances.”
