Durban – Former president Jacob Zuma, who is currently on medical parole, was reportedly spotted at Sibaya Casino, an establishment owned by his friend, Durban businessman Vivian Reddy over the weekend.
Zuma, who was alleged to be attending a meeting, was seen in the company of ex-South African Airways chairperson Dudu Myeni and suspended ANC member and spokesperson of the disbanded MKMVA Carl Niehaus, the Sunday Times reported.
Jacob Zuma’s foundation, however, lambasted the weekend newspaper’s report which had photos of the former president at the venue as being ‘opportunistic’ and ‘self-serving’.
ALSO READ | ‘I remain a prisoner under very strict parole conditions,’ says Jacob Zuma
Responding to reports that Zuma was attending a “secret meeting”, the foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi said; “How can a meeting be secret in a public hotel? That alone is stupid. President Zuma is not short of secret venues. If that’s what he wanted to have, why would he have a secret meeting? The report is stupid and it fails to differentiate between medical parole and house arrest. It’s only when a person is under house arrest where you can question them being seen anywhere else other than by their house. If he was under house arrest this would have been very different,” according to News24.
Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla also weighed in and tweeted: “My father is not under house arrest and you are not privy to his parole conditions. My father can’t be your only newsmaker. There are taxi wars happening and ministers being taken “hostage”
Amanda Khoza From @SundayTimesZA And Lindiwe Gumede From @SundayTribuneSA My Father Is Not Under House Arrest And You Are NOT Privy To His Parole Conditions. My Father Can’t Be Your ONLY Newsmaker, There Are Taxi Wars Happening And Ministers Being Taken “Hostage” #WenzenuZuma
— Dudu Zuma-Sambudla (@DZumaSambudla) October 16, 2021
Zuma’s appearance at the casino raised eyebrows but the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said he had not breached his parole conditions.
According to Daily Maverick, DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said: “Parole conditions are between the parolee and DCS; we never disclose them to the public. What we can confirm is that Mr Jacob Zuma made a request to leave his residence to be in another town and this was approved by his monitoring official. We can therefore confirm that permission was granted. This is in line with his parole conditions.”
Zuma, who only spent two months of his 15-month jail term for defying a Constitutional Court order to give evidence at an inquiry, was granted medical parole in September.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Getty Images
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Reginald Nhlapo
