Former South African President has surrendered

KATHMANDU: JULY 8 – Former South African President Jacob Zuma has surrendered to police after serving a prison sentence for contempt of court. According to his foundation, he reached the jail near his residence on Wednesday evening according to local time.

Police had warned that they were preparing to arrest the 79-year-old former president if he did not surrender by the end of the day. Zuma was sentenced last week to 15 months in prison for failing to attend a court hearing.

Zuma was given a fixed time after refusing to surrender on Sunday. “President Zuma has decided to comply with the arrest warrant,” the foundation said in a statement.

Shortly afterward, his daughter posted on Twitter that her father was “on the road (to jail) and still has high self-confidence.” This is the first time a former president has been jailed in South Africa.

Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison on June 29 for disobeying an order to present evidence during a corruption hearing during his nine-year term.

Under his leadership, businessmen have been accused of colluding with politicians to influence the decision-making process. But Zuma has repeatedly said he is a victim of political conspiracies. In 2018, he was forced out of office by his own party, but he managed to retain a section of supporters.

-BBC