Police Minister Bheki Cele informed the office of the Chief Justice that he will hold off on the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma.
In a letter penned by the State Attorney’s office on behalf of Cele, the Police Minister says this is due to the litigation steps that Zuma has embarked on.
The Constitutional Court ordered Zuma to hand himself over to the police in Nkandla or Johannesburg within five days to ensure he was sent to prison.
It said should Zuma not hand himself over to the police within five working days, Cele and the National Police Commissioner should take steps to arrest him and take him to prison.
Zuma’s stay of arrest hearing
Police officers were provoked at Nkandla but did not retaliate: POPCRU
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) is adamant that officers in Nkandla in the north of KwaZulu-Natal handled last weekend’s volatile situation responsibly.
Scores of former president Jacob Zuma supporters gathered outside his homestead following an urgent court application for a stay of his arrest pending a Constitutional Court application. The Constitutional Court sentenced Zuma to 15 months imprisonment for ignoring its ruling that he continue his testimony before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
POPCRU spokesperson Richard Mamabolo says officers were provoked at some stage but did not retaliate.
“The situation could have escalated to an extent where certain people could have been injured or killed and that would have been blamed on police. It is quite important before the police could act they need to assess the situation and of course, I am aware the police intelligence were deployed at Nkandla so they found out that it would be risky to react.”
Policing and crime expert David Bruce says officers in Nkandla face a dilemma on whether to enforce level four lockdown regulations or de-escalate a rather tense situation.
VIDEO | Unpacking events that unfolded in Nkandla:
