South Africa's jailed ex-leader attends brother's funeral

Former South African president Jacob Zuma was allowed to leave prison briefly Thursday to attend his brother’s funeral

JOHANNESBURG -- Former South African president Jacob Zuma was allowed to leave prison briefly Thursday to attend his brother’s funeral. Zuma is currently serving a 15-month sentence for defying an order from the Constitutional Court, the country's highest court, that he should testify at the commission of inquiry probing allegations of corruption during his term as president from 2009 to 2018. The start of Zuma's imprisonment on July 8 sparked off protests which quickly escalated into violent riots in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces that lasted a week. The death toll in the unrest has risen to 337, and police are investigating 213 of those for murder, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, acting minister in the presidency, said Thursday. The rise in fatalities has been caused by people dying from serious injuries, she said.