Jacob Zuma has achieved political ignominy because the primary former president of an African country to be sent to prison. His life as a free man – who enjoyed the perks of a former president – ended just before midnight standard time, when during a dramatic scene he was escorted by a convoy of vehicles from his point rural Nkandla to jail within the community of Estcourt. His son, Edward Zuma, had warned that there would be “blood on the floor” if he was arrested, but within the top there was none. The 79-year-old surrendered, knowing that he couldn’t resist the might of the state, relinquishing his son who had earlier stood by the gate of their home with a stick. Zuma was once a celebrated political figure. He was imprisoned for 10 years in 1963 for fighting the racist system of apartheid in the state, then went into exile in 1975 to become the spymaster of the African National Congress (ANC), before returning to land triumphantly in 1990, and rising to the presidency in 2009, though by then his reputation had been stained by a deluge of corruption allegations. Humble roots He had also been charged with raping a family friend but was acquitted in 2006 in an exceedingly trial that deeply polarised the ANC, the previous liberation movement which became the governing party in 1994 and of which Zuma has been a member since the age of 17. Now, he has been imprisoned for being in contempt of a court made up of South Africa’s most senior judges – those who are the guardians of the democracy he fought for several of his life. Earlier this month, the judges of the Constitutional Court sentenced him to fifteen months in prison for ignoring an order to appear before a politician inquiry investigating the corruption allegations he faced during his nine-year presidency – especially his relationship with the notorious Gupta brothers who fled the country in 2018 because the legal noose enclosed on them. They have all denied the allegations, and Zuma insists that his political enemies are using the courts to specialize in him. Having fought racial oppression in state at the height of the conflict between the US and thus the now-defunct country, Zuma remains steeped during this mentality, casting himself because the victim of a political conspiracy hatched by Western powers – and their “puppets” in the African nation – to thwart his attempts at ending the economic power of White race within the country. For his critics, the previous reformist from a poor rural family became intoxicated by power once the liberation struggle was won and – along with his new business friends – looted the state’s wealth on a grand scale. Where the fact lies is yet to be established but it is a tribute to South Africa’s 27-year-democracy that a former revolutionary and president has been imprisoned for trying to evade accountability over his time in office. It shows that South Africa’s democratic institutions – often battered by politicians – remain strong, and judges, policemen, and organizations are still prepared to uphold the rule of law by jailing an individual whom a variety of them personally know and with whom they were once within the trenches of the liberation struggle. Most high-profile prisoner Moreover, judges are scrupulously fair towards Zuma, giving him a hearing at every opportunity as he waged within the courts what became said because of the Stalingrad strategy – fighting point-by-point every attempt to put him unproved for his alleged high crimes. On Friday, a judge will rule on whether or to not revoke his arrest, and on Monday the easiest court of the land will hear his request to overturn his conviction for contempt. This is unprecedented in the African nation, and also the months ahead are likely to be more dramatic as Zuma is tried, in an exceedingly separate case, on charges of corruption related to a $5bn (£3bn) deal within the 1990s. He is facing quite 15 counts of racketeering, corruption, fraud, evasion, and hiding – charges to which he pleaded innocent during a court appearance in May. With Zuma fighting legal battles on various fronts, the large question is: Will he ultimately win and walk free, or will he gain even more notoriety as South Africa’s most high-profile prisoner? line Zuma’s legal woes: 2005: Charged with raping family friend – acquitted in 2006 2005: Charged with corruption over multi-billion dollar 1999 trade – charges dropped shortly before he becomes president in 2009 2016: Court orders he should be charged with 18 counts of corruption over the deal – he appealed, but in 2017 lost a bid to overturn them 2016: Court rules he breached his oath of office by using government money to upgrade private zero in Nkandla – he has repaid the cash 2017: Public protector said he should appoint judge-led inquiry into allegations he profiteered from relationship with wealthy Gupta family – he denies allegations, as have the Guptas 2018: Zuma approves inquiry into claims of state looting 2018: The National Prosecuting Authority confirms Mr. Zuma will face prosecution for 12 charges of fraud, one all told racketeering, two of corruption, and one in every of concealment, pertaining to the deal, which he denies 2021: Begins a 15-month jail sentence after the Constitutional Court orders his arrest for refusing to testify at the commission into state looting
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