Cele: Transporting Zuma from Nkandla to Estcourt prison cost R9 000

Police Minister Bheki Cele has revealed that the state footed the R9 000 bill to transport former president Jacob Zuma from his Nkandla homestead to Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

Cele was responding to a written Parliamentary question posed to him by the Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Dean Macpherson.

“The SAPS, Division for Presidential Protection Services, undertook the following in relation to the arrest of the former president of the Republic, Mr J G Zuma on July 7, 2021, the total operational cost was R9 017.38,” said Cele.

State foots the bill for Jacob Zuma

Of the monies spent, Minister Bheki Cele said R8 526.63 was for soft vehicles while R490.75 was for an armoured vehicle, which was a BMW X5, likely the one Jacob Zuma was being driven in.

Zuma started serving his sentence at the relatively new correctional facility in July but has since been granted medical parole and returned to Nkandla last week.

As far as law enforcement personnel was concerned, Cele said there were two captains and one lieutenant-colonel as well as 10 non-commissioned officers.

He said in the build-up to Zuma’s arrest, they had also put in a standby force in Empangeni.

Here’s a recap: The Constitutional Court slapped Zuma with a 15-month prison 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’s arrests sparked a wave of demonstrations in KZN, which soon spread to parts of Gauteng.