Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says former President Jacob Zuma was released under false pretenses.
The DA leader has labelled it as a “special remission”.
Speaking during a media briefing in Bloemfontein, Steenhuisen says the announcement that Zuma won’t be going back to jail, is proof of what he says is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ‘spineless nature’.
Steenhuisen says Ramaphosa, who is also ANC president, has failed to stand up for what is right and is unable to protect the country from the ANC.
He says the announcement by the Acting Correctional Services Commissioner also creates an impression that ANC members implicated in the State Capture Commission, can no longer be held accountable.
“The confluence of coincidences, it’s frankly too stark to ignore and it was very, very clearly designed to ensure that Mr Zuma did not spend any further time in jail. It’s not surprising that this result and the outcome was delayed and notices were sent and withdrawn, because this sort of sly and devious behavior requires a great deal of forethought and planning. The fact that this remission comes into effect today, the very day that Mr Zuma was to go back to jail and to be processed, it’s a very, very clear indication of exactly what has occurred here in South Africa, and this wasn’t a new fundamental low, in South Africa, it will almost be a comedy of epic proportions.”
