Following the completion of his prison term for contempt of court, former South African President Jacob Zuma was released, a government agency announced on Friday.
After refusing to comply with requests to take part in a corruption investigation, Zuma was given a 15-month term last year.
Zuma handed himself in on July 7 last year to begin his sentence, triggering the worst violence South Africa had seen in years as his angry supporters took to the streets.
In a statement, Zuma said he felt relieved to be a free man and thanked his supporters.
“The… messages of support on social media and other platforms kept me strong and focused on ensuring that those who wanted to break my spirit and resolve do not succeed,” he said.
Zuma was released on medical parole in September 2021. But in December, the high court set aside the parole decision and ordered him to return to jail. Zuma appealed the ruling and remained on parole pending the appeal outcome.
We previously reported that the 79 year old former president is accused of enabling the plunder of state coffers during his nearly nine-year stint in office. And he is supposed to face the Zondo Commission; a state inquiry which he set up, and now he is ironically failing to appear before.
