Jacob Zuma: Court orders arrest of former South African president
- A warrant of arrest has been issued for former South African president Jacob Zuma by KwaZulu-Natal high court
- The state took action against the politician after several failed appearances in court
- Zuma's lawyers noted that the former president traveled outside the country for medical treatment
On Tuesday, February 4, the KwaZulu-Natal high court has approved the state's request to issue a warrant of arrest for former South African president Jacob Zuma. This is coming after the politician failed to appear in court.
Legit.ng gathered that following a probe into the doctor's medical note that was provided to the court in relation to his absence due to 'illness', some details had been adjusted while others were missing.
In a report by Briefly.co.za, Billy Downer the state's advocate requested the warrant after the ex-president failed to appear in court. The case which was preceded over by Judge Dhaya Pillay granted Downer's request.
The matter was adjourned until May 6 when Zuma is scheduled to appear. The legal team of the former president had submitted documents to the court, insisting that Zuma had left the country to seek medical treatment for an undisclosed illness in January
Downer requested information regarding this sickness, but the defense has failed to produce any details.
Zuma's lawyer Dan Mantsha, insists the ex-president's health is a matter of 'national security'. The lawyer stated that it was unreasonable for the state to doubt the medical note which was approved by military personnel.
The judge, however, raised concerns over the medical note that was provided citing the alterations made which included a changed date and the absence of a medical number. This was a cause for concern and there is no way to check the doctor's credentials.
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Legit.ng had previously reported that Zuma resigned as the president of South Africa amidst controversies surrounding his administration. The politician announced his resignation in a televised address to the people on Wednesday, February 14, 2019.
The ruling ANC party of South Africa had asked Zuma to resign or face a possible vote of no confidence at the parliament. Though the politician initially refused to stand down, he later then decided to resign in order to prevent bloodshed as no life should be lost because of him.
It would also be recalled that before Zuma's resignation, former Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha erected a statue of the politician in the state. The statue reportedly cost a whopping N520 million to construct although this has not been verified or confirmed by the state government.
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Source: Legit.ng
