has been spared further time in prison by a decision to remit his 15-month sentence for contempt of court.
The minister framed Ramaphosa’s decision, which was announced just over an hour after Zuma reported to the Estcourt prison in KwaZulu-Natal, as an urgent measure to reduce overcrowding of 143% in the country’s prisons. “He was admitted into the system,” Thobakgale said. “He was subjected to administrative processes and part of those administrative processes apart from his admission was the fact that the remission process had already taken effect. So he was subjected to the remission process and processed as such.”
The supreme court of appeal confirmed a high court ruling that Zuma’s release on medical parole in 2021 was invalid because former correctional services commissioner Arthur Fraser broke the law by overruling a decision by the Medical Parole Board to deny Zuma medical parole because he was not terminally ill.
“It is a matter to be considered by the commissioner. If he is empowered by law to do so, the commissioner might take that period into account in determining any application or grounds for release.” Lamola was at pains to stress that Thobakgale had complied with the court’s decision that Zuma return to prison, because he had been readmitted into the correctional services system upon which he was then granted remission.