Cyril Ramaphosa ‘gave Fraser the green light to authorise Zuma’s release from prison’ – report

Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa was reportedly aware of national commissioner of correctional services Arthur Fraser’s decision to place former president Jacob Zuma on medical parole.

According to City Press, Ramaphosa allegedly gave Fraser “the green light” to authorise the release of Zuma from prison.

The report quoted sources as saying that “the prison boss consulted the president before deciding to release Zuma based on three months assessments”.

This comes a few days after the Democratic Alliance (DA) reportedly filed urgent papers in the North Gauteng High Court in which it wants the decision to grant Zuma medical parole to be reviewed.

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ALSO READ | WATCH | Arthur Fraser speaks on how he overruled parole board to free Jacob Zuma

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According to EWN, the DA claims in the application submitted on Friday last week that there was no way that Zuma could have been granted parole without Ramaphosa’s knowledge.

The party wants the court to declare the decision unlawful and set it aside, the report said.

“We know the ANC has been looking for ways to get Mr Zuma out of jail from day one of his incarceration and now they got to use the trustee card of the medical parole they abused with Mr Schabir Shaik and Mr Selebi,” the report quoted the DA as saying.

Fraser admitted during an interview with SABC’s Vuyo Mvoko on Wednesday last week that he alone decided to grant medical parole to Zuma.

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ALSO READ | Cyril Ramaphosa hails placement of Zuma on medical parole, wishes him ‘a quick recovery’

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Zuma, who was jailed for 15 months for contempt of court after snubbing graft investigators, was on September 5, granted medical parole.

The 79-year-old has been hospitalised since August 6 at a health facility outside the prison where he had been incarcerated for ignoring a court order to testify before a judicial panel probing corruption during his nine-year tenure which lasted until 2018.