A group of African National Congress (ANC) activists, known as the Strategic Dialogue Group (SDG), said former President Jacob Zuma’s incarceration was a victory for the rule of law in South Africa.

Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola confirmed that Zuma was admitted into the Estcourt Correctional Centre in the early hours of Thursday, in compliance with the Constitutional Court order.

The SDG said Zuma's decision to abide by the decision of the Constitutional Court at the eleventh hour was to be welcomed.

“Furthermore, the unprecedented incarceration of a former Head of State in post-apartheid South Africa imposes an unavoidable obligation for deep reflection and reasoned national dialogue across the political divide. Zuma will hopefully spend the next 15 months reflecting on his own role in what is evidently a conspiracy against the people of South Africa,” said the SDG.

The SDG has urged dialogue around the country’s present situation and called for defence of democracy, stating that South Africa’s future is too important for the country not to engage in this dialogue.

“Hopefully the national dialogue will result in, amongst others, a process in which we become a people for ourselves as opposed to a people in themselves,” the activists said.