ActionSA president Herman Mashaba on Monday re-affirmed the party’s respect for the independence of the judiciary and is calling on the National Commissioner of Correctional Services to make an impartial and apolitical decision in the interests of accountability as to whether or not the period of time served by former President Jacob Zuma on his “so called medical parole”, should be added to his current sentence.

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Monday morning confirmed that the medical parole granted to Zuma by former prison boss Arthur Fraser was unlawful and set it aside. The unanimous Bench stressed that the effect of this order was that Zuma, in law, has not finished serving his sentence.

The Court said Zuma must return to the Estcourt Correctional Centre to do so.

Zuma was sentenced in July 2021 to 15 months in jail by the Constitutional Court over a charge of contempt when he refused to appear before a judicial probe investigating State corruption during his presidency. Zuma was released on medical parole in September 2021.

“Abuse of legal processes that should be open to bona fide medically ill individuals should never be condoned. We will never deviate from our core belief that everyone should be equal before the law in South Africa,” said Mashaba.

Mashaba highlighted that Zuma is well known for his Stalingrad tactics and said the former President has dodged accountability for far too long.

Mashaba said Fraser’s role in this matter must not be forgotten, as it was he who made the unlawful decision to grant medical parole despite the legal provisions not being adhered to.

He too must face the music, said the party.