Statement: Former President Jacob Zuma In Russia for Health Reasons

Statement: Former President Jacob Zuma In Russia for Health Reasons. The speculations have been confirmed after many publications reported on the former president’s health. Jacob Zuma is indeed in Russia to seek medical attention.

The Jacob Zuma Foundation has issued a statement in which they elaborate more on the issue. According to the statement, the former president is in Russia for medical reasons. Zuma who has been there for a week, will only be returning back home once his doctors have completed their treatment.

They also added that the trip was private, not as secret as some reports insinuate. The statement, penned by Mzwanele Manyi, also corrected another speculation. Manyi states that the former president traveled on a commercial flight full of other passengers. In conclusion the foundation wish him good health and a safe trip back home.

Zuma served as president from 2009, before scandals forced him to step down in 2018. Even after stepping down, scandals followed him. In June 2021 the Constitutional Court found Zuma to be in contempt of court for his refusal to participate in the commission hearings. He only made one appearance at the inquiry into what has become known as “state capture” but then refused to appear subsequently. The commission was probing, inter alia, allegations of state capture during his nine-year presidency. The inquiry, headed by Justice Raymond Zondo then asked the Constitutional Court to intervene.

He was thus sentenced to 15 months in jail. Zuma began serving his sentence in July, but in August he was taken to a hospital for surgery pertaining to an undisclosed medical condition. The next month he was granted medical parole and allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence from home.