Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been placed on parole for health reasons, the Department of Corrections announced Sunday.
Last month, prison officials said Zuma, 79, who was serving a 15-month sentence at Estcourt prison for contempt of court, had undergone surgery at an outside hospital.
“Mr. Zuma’s medical parole placement means that he will serve the remainder of his sentence in the community corrections system, in which he must comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subject to supervision until the expiration of his sentence,” the Department of Prison Management said in a statement.
Mzwanele Manyi, spokesperson for the Jacob Zuma Foundation, said she welcomed the parole board’s decision and that a more detailed statement would be issued after consultation with Zuma’s legal team.
Jacob Zuma had been jailed for defying a constitutional court order to testify in a corruption investigation during his nine years in office. When Zuma surrendered on July 7, protests by his supporters turned into riots with looting and arson, which President Cyril Ramaphosa called an “insurrection.