The Constitutional Court has dismissed with costs former president Jacob Zuma's application for leave to appeal a ruling on his medical parole. This paves the way for him to return to prison and complete his sentence. Zuma and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) challenged the High Court ruling which declared his release on medical parole irrational, unlawful, and unconstitutional.

APPEAL DISMISSED WITH COSTS

SCA ruled in December 2021 that the decision to release Zuma on early medical parole was "unlawful" and that he should return to prison to finish his sentence for contempt of court. In its ruling today, the ConCourt found that the appeal had no reasonable prospects of success. Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison after he defied the ConCourt's orders that he appear before the Zondo Commission. Zuma was released on medical parole by the then DCS national commissioner, Arthur Fraser in September 2021, after serving a fraction of the sentence. But the high court set aside the parole decision and ordered him to return to jail.

JULY 2021 UNREST

In July 2021, soon after Zuma was handed himself over for imprisonment at Estcourt Prison, a wave of civil unrest started in KwaZulu-Natal and escalated to Gauteng province. The riots which saw lootings and burglaries and damage to properties and infrastructure lasted for nine days from 9 to 18 July 2021. Shopping malls, schools, and multiple companies were forced to close following widespread looting and violence. More than 350 lost their lives during the unrest while 150 000 lost their jobs and R50 billion in damages was reported. In a short statement after the ruling, DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said the department is studying the judgment. "DCS is seeking legal advice and will comment further in due course,' Nzumalo said.