Who was the 79-year-old political extorter?
As Zuma was freed on October 7th 2022, let’s see why he went to prison in the first place, and what caused the imprisonment of the former president of South Africa.
Jacob Zuma was once called the ‘People’s president’. But his name has now become synonymous with corruption. He grew up under South Africa’s racist apartheid regime. As a teenager, he joined the African National Congress (ANC). He spent 10 years as a political prisoner on Robben Island alongside Nelson Mandela. After his release, he rose through the ranks of the ANC’s military wing. He was involved in the negotiations that brought an end to white-minority rule. In 1999 he became the deputy president of South Africa. But in 2005 he was sacked by President Thabo Mbeki over allegations of corruption. The charges were later dropped and in 2009 when he became South Africa’s president. His presidency faced several high-profile scandals. He had to repay the government money used to upgrade his house at Nkandla. In 2006, the High Court ruled that Zuma should face corruption charges over the government arms deal in 1999. He also faced corruption allegations over his relationship with the wealthy Gupta family. They were accused of having undue influence over politics (they deny the allegations).
Thousands of people took to the streets to demand his resignation. But President Zuma had some successes. Many more people with HIV/Aids have been treated with ARV drugs under his administration. Life expectancy in South Africa has risen as a result. In the end, the party he had served for nearly 60 years brought about his demise, with support dropping to record lows under his leadership.
In February 2021, Zuma refused to appear before the Zondo Commission, even though he testified before. And then in June of 2021, the Constitutional Court sentenced him to 15 months in prison for contempt of court. He was given a deadline to turn himself in and at the very last minute he showed up at a police station.
While all that was going on, hundreds of Zuma supporters, some with weapons, rallied in KwaZulu Natal, his home province. In a protest, one man said, “We are here to say Ramaphosa must step down. We’ll make the country ungovernable.” A lot of the lootings and protests were pure opportunism. But a lot of people in Africa are struggling to survive and the protests provided them with an opportunity to benefit. The pre-existing financial state of the country compounded by the pandemic and unemployment was already crushing the economy. The only way for South Africa to now recover, is prolonged political stability.