South Africa: Zuma in Russia for 'health reasons'

South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma is in Russia where he traveled to for "health reasons," according to his foundation, which commented amid speculation over whether he would be returning to prison.

"Zuma travelled to Russia last week for health reasons," the Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesman Mzwanele Manyi said in a statement issued on Friday.

Manyi said that the 81-year-old would return to South Africa "once his doctors have completed their treatment." It was not disclosed what medical condition the former president was receiving treatment for.

Top court uphold Zuma imprisonment

On Thursday South Africa's Constitutional Court upheld a ruling against the former president by the Supreme Court of Appeal, which declared unlawful his 2022 release from prison due to claimed health problems.

Prison authorities had challenged the ruling, saying their decision should stand, sending the case to the Constitutional Court.

The Constitutional Court ruled that the appeal had "no reasonable prospects of success" and ordered prison services and Zuma to pay legal costs.

It was not immediately clear whether he would return to custody. Prison authorities said they were studying the judgment and would seek legal advice.

Why was Jacob Zuma imprisoned?

The former leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) was president from 2009 to 2018. He is now 81 years old.

Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2021 for contempt of court after he refused to testify before a committee probing corruption and nepotism during his administration.

He had been accused of enabling the looting of state coffers during his tenure. The corruption scandals prompted the ANC to force Zuma out of the party, and he was succeeded by incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The controversy also involved the Gupta brothers, whose extradition to South Africa was rejected by the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.

The former president's imprisonment was followed by riots that left 350 dead.

Zuma was then released on medical parole after less than eight weeks in prison.

Arthur Fraser, the head of the prison administration at the time and who was previously known as a close ally of Zuma, ordered the release.

The prison chief overruled a previous decision by the system's parole board.

kb,sdi/msh (dpa, AFP)