Jacob Zuma: South Africa former president dey police hand

Jacob Zuma

EPA
The former president was sentenced to 15 months in jail last week

South Africa former President Jacob Zuma don hand himsef in to police to begin serve 15-month jail sentence for contempt of court.

Police admit am to Estcourt Correctional Centre for e home town – di province of KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday.

Police bin don warn say dem dey prepared to arrest am if e no hand himsef to dem by midnight.

Court hand Zuma, 79, jail term last week afta e fail to attend corruption inquiry.

Di sentencing bin spark legal drama for South Africa, with deadline imposed of midnight on Wednesday (22:00 GMT) for im arrest.

Di court sama am di deadline afta Zuma refuse to hand himsef in on Sunday.

For short statement, di Jacob Zuma Foundation tok say di former president bin don “decide to comply with di incarceration order” and hand himsef in to prison authorities.

Im daughter, Dudu Zuma-Sambudla, later write for Twitter say her father bin “dey road [to di jail] and im still dey in high spirits”.

Zuma supporters

EPA
Mr Zuma’s supporters have protested against his arrest

No former president for South Africa don face jail sentence before.

Dem bin sentence Zuma on 29 June because e go against instruction to give evidence for one inquiry about corruption during im nine years in power.

Businessmen bin dey face accuse say dem conspire with politicians to influence di decision-making process wen im bin dey office. But Zuma don repeatedly tok say im be victim of political conspiracy.

Though e own party force am out of office for 2018, di African National Congress (ANC), im retain loyal body of supporters, especially for im home province of KwaZulu-Natal.

On Sunday, crowds form wetin dem call human shield outside Zuma’s palatial home as part of efforts to stop e arrest. Similar crowds gather before e hand himself in on Wednesday.


BBC tori pesin Nomsa Maseko, wey bin dey outside Zuma house on Wednesday, note say large police presence bin dey outside di property, armed officers and a paramilitary unit bin also dey dia.

Delegation of senior officers dey believed to don spend several hours inside im residence dey negotiate wit di former president over e arrest.

Pipo later see convoy of cars, one of dem wey carry Zuma, dey leavie di house wit high-speed shortly before di midnight deadline for e detention.

A convoy enters the homestead of former South African President Jacob Zuma in Nkandla, South Africa

Reuters
Mr Zuma was taken to a prison near to his home in KwaZulu-Natal province late on Wednesday

Zuma previously declare say im dey prepared to go prison.

However, im tok say “sending me to jail during di height of a pandemic, for my age, na di same tin as sentencing me to death”.

Im don also repeatedly tok say im be victim of political conspiracy. Im don testify only once for di corruption inquiry into wetin don dey known as “state capture” – meaning di siphoning off of state assets.

For separate legal matter, Zuma plead say im no dey guilty last month for one corruption trial wey involve $5bn (£3bn) arms deal from di 1990s.