South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has been sentenced to 15 months in jail by the country’s highest court and has been given five days to hand himself in to police or have the police minister order his arrest.
The sentence comes after the Constitutional Court found him guilty of contempt for defying its order to appear at an inquiry into corruption while he was president.
The former president testified only once at the inquiry into what has become known as “state capture” but then refused to appear subsequently.
The inquiry which was headed by Justice Raymond Zondo, asked the Constitutional Court to intervene.
Acting Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe was damning in her ruling saying that Zuma refused to come to the court to explain his actions and instead chose to make provocative, statements in attempts to question the integrity of the judiciary.
She said she was left with no option but to commit Zuma to imprisonment, in hopes it would send an unequivocal message that the rule of law and the administration of justice prevails.
The former president was not in court to hear the majority ruling and has repeatedly declared that he was the victim of a giant political conspiracy.
In a separate legal matter, Zuma pleaded not guilty last month in his corruption trial involving a $5bn (£3bn) arms deal from the 1990s.
The Constitutional Court did not simply find him in contempt, but spelled out the many ways in which the former president had lied, sought to mislead the public, and ultimately tried to “destroy the rule of law”.
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