Jacob Zuma placed on medical parole amid speculation about his health

Zuma was sentenced in June after losing his appeal in the country's apex court for his consistent refusal to appear before the Commission of Inquiry

South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma, who is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court, has been granted medical parole because of his ill health, jail authorities said on September 5. Zuma, 79, was sentenced in June after losing his appeal in the country's apex court for his consistent refusal to appear before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, where several witnesses have implicated him in corruption. He is accused of enabling the plunder of state coffers during his nearly nine-year stay in office from 2009 to 2018. "Medical parole placement for Mr. Zuma means that he will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he must comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires,” the Department of Correctional Services said in a statement on September 5.