Zuma latest: Constitutional Court to hear JZ’s rescission application

All eyes will once again be on the Constitutional Court on Monday morning, 12 July 2021, as it will deliver judgement on former president Jacob Zuma’s application to have the 15-month prison sentence, rescinded.

Here’s a recap: The apex court slapped Zuma with the sentence after finding him guilty of contempt – a decision that was in favour of the State Capture Commission. The commission, headed by Deputy Chief Justice (DCJ) Raymond Zondo, had approached the Constitutional Court   after Zuma refused to take the stand and answer to legions of corruption allegations – this was in violation of a previous order granted by the same court.

Zuma is currently incarcerated at the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KZN and could be eligible for parole in a little over a month.

Will Jacob Zuma claim victory in his bid with the Constitutional Court?

Depending on how the Constitutional Court rules, Jacob Zuma, who just spent his first weekend behind bars, could soon find himself in the comfort of his Nkandla homestead once again.

The decision would also come just days after the Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed Zuma’s stay of arrest bid, with costs. The application was to avoid reporting for jail, pending the Constitutional Court’s decision on his rescission bid.

In court papers filed with the highest court in the land, Zuma argues there are no valid grounds for him to be imprisoned.

“I am advised that before I walk through the prison doors to serve my sentence as the first direct prisoner of the Constitutional Court under our Constitutional democracy, it will not be futile to make one last attempt to invite the Constitutional Court to relook its decision and to merely reassess whether it has acted within the constitution or, erroneously, beyond the powers vested in the court by the constitution”

Former president Jacob Zuma

“The peculiarity and uniqueness of these unprecedented circumstances, the implications thereof on my personal freedom and the health challenges facing the country should all combine to militate in favour of the serious entertainment of this matter,” Zuma said.