Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa, has been brought to a hospital for observation near the Estcourt Correctional Center, where he is currently serving a 15-month prison sentence.
The government stated on Friday that former South African President Jacob Zuma has been admitted for observation at a hospital near the Estcourt Correctional Center, where he is presently serving a 15-month prison sentence.
Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s imprisoned former president, is in hospital
Zuma‘s incarceration last month provoked violent riots in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, which swiftly devolved into widespread looting of retail malls and the torching of trucks in KwaZulu-Natal. More than 330 people were killed in the riots, and property worth more than R20 billion ($1.36 billion) was damaged.
Zuma has petitioned the Constitutional Court to have his prison sentence overturned, and he is scheduled to appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court next week in a second corruption trial.
Zuma is in prison for refusing to testify in a state-backed investigation into charges of corruption during his presidency, which lasted from 2009 to 2018.
According to the correctional services department’s statement, a regular checkup revealed that Zuma needed to be admitted to the hospital.
“Mr. Zuma’s healthcare needs as a former president necessitate the involvement of the South African Military Health Services. This has been the case since his incarceration at Estcourt Correctional Center, according to the statement.