Healthy enough to do the crime, but not healthy enough to do the time!

01 October 2021,  Dries Knoetze 340
South Africa is a buzz with the recent news that our previous president Mr. Jacob Zuma was released from prison on medical parole.

This after Mr. Zuma was found guilty of contempt of court by the Constitutional Court and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment in June 2021.

Mr. Zuma only spent a mere 3 months in jail instead of his 15 month sentence and as such the credibility of the South African legal system in a whole is being questioned by the members of the public.

Questions such as why prominent ANC members or appointees such as Jackie Selebi, Schabir Shaik and now Honourable Mr. Previous President are amongst the few sentenced prisoners to be bestowed this "get out of jail free card" of medical parole?

Eyebrows are being raised as to how quickly the medical parole of Mr. Zuma was granted and rightfully so in light thereof various opposition parties has approach the courts for insight and reasons for this decision. 

When I was at University, I was taught about the 3 (three) independent spheres of governance in South Africa, meaning  the executive, the legislature and the judiciary spheres and that these three spheres must, to protect the constitution operate independently. These three are supposed to work independently from one another with a clear separation of powers.

This principle is however tested when, for example, the Minster of Justice and Correctional Services and all the ministers for that matter, are appointed by the governing party (ANC) and appointed to make important decisions amongst others, decision relating whether a previous leader and president's medical parole should be granted.

I might just be reading too much into this sudden change of events or the answer to the question can simply be that Mr. Shaik and Mr. Selebi required a third ball in their golf game. 

I am, as many of the members of the public, anxiously awaiting the outcome of the applications lodge to Court to obtain the "restricted" reasons to the question why Mr. Zuma was released and on what ground, but I hope that the outcome will put the minds of South African citizens at ease and restore faith in the justice system.

I am reminded of my previous blog a while ago titled "all animals are equal but some are more equal then others".


 
 



 
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