Manyi hopes ‘justice will prevail’ as DA and AfriForum challenge Zuma medical parole in court

The Jacob Zuma Foundation is hopeful the Pretoria high court will rule in favour of the former president on Tuesday, spokesperson for the foundation Mzwanele Manyi says.

The DA, Helen Suzman Foundation and AfriForum are appealing against Zuma’s “unlawful” medical parole.

Manyi said justice was not a regular practice when it came to Zuma and the SA courts, saying the foundation hoped for a different and positive outcome on Tuesday. 

Zuma was granted medical parole in September,  just months after he was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment by the Constitutional Court for contempt of court. The former president was serving his sentence at the Estcourt correctional services centre before he was transferred to an outside military hospital.

Correctional services boss Arthur Fraser admitted to authorising Zuma’s release despite the medical parole advisory board, which is the expert medical body established under the Correctional Services Act, not approving medical parole, contending that Zuma was in a stable condition.

Advocate Max Du Plessis argued on behalf of the Helen Suzman Foundation that correctional services head Arthur Fraser’s decision to approve Zuma’s release was illegal.

Du Plessis said Fraser was a national commissioner and had no power to override the medical board. 

“He had no scope to ignore what the board had said. The national commissioner has no power to override the board about whether the inmate has any severe illness or physical incapacity ... The board is designed to provide an independent decision to prevent political and other interventions on matters,” he argued.