The Constitutional Court will hear former president Jacob Zuma’s appeal on Monday to have the apex court rescind its decision to sentence him to 15 months in jail after failing to adhere to an order that he appear before the Zondo commission of inquiry.
Zuma began his prison term at the Estcourt prison in KwaZulu-Natal last week after initially refusing to turn himself over to the police.
In his application to the Constitutional Court to overturn its contempt of court verdict against him, the former president argued that sentencing him to jail would amount to “death” due to his age and poor state of health.
In responding papers filed on Friday, the commission said Zuma’s application should be dismissed with costs due to the former president’s non-compliance with the court order that he participate in the commission. It said Zuma’s application has “no merit” and the commission should not be made to bear the costs of the appeal.
Zuma’s supporters are expected to intensify their calls for the release of the former president. Police arrested more than 27 suspects in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend after violence erupted across the province with protesters calling for his release.
Suspects charged with public violence, burglary, malicious damage to property and contravention of Covid-19 lockdown regulations are expected to appear in court.
The ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa have condemned the violence and have called for calm.
The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination will gather pace as registrations for people aged 35-49 open on July 15, with the first jabs expected to be administered from August. People over 50 began receiving vaccinations from the beginning of July, after the rollout to health workers, over-60s, teachers and police.
Aid industries
The country remains under tight restrictions as Covid-19 infections continue to climb. On Saturday, 22,443 new cases were recorded with 374 new deaths. Gauteng has seen a rapid increase in infections, with the Western Cape also seeing a rise in Covid-19 cases as the Delta variant sweeps through the country.
As restrictions continue, the government is under pressure to aid the hospitality and liquor industries, whose profits have been strained by the restrictions. In June representatives of social partners met at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) and agreed in principle to extend the Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) to affected workers.
In parliament, the committee on co-operative governance & traditional affairs is expected to meet the North West government to discuss progress made on the section 100 intervention in terms of which the beleaguered province was placed under national administration in March 2018. The task team appointed to guide the administration told the committee that it would wind back on the intervention in June.
The funeral service of the late Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo is expected to take place on Wednesday after he succumbed to Covid-19 complications on Friday. The ANC in the region will also be hosting memorial services in the lead-up to the funeral.
Makhubo tested positive for Covid-19 and was admitted to hospital last week after falling ill.
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