President Cyril Ramaphosa has shown no regrets in granting his predecessor Jacob Zuma a remission sentence, stating that the remission was generalised and not aimed specifically at the former president.
Zuma was sentenced to prison for 15 months by the Constitutional Court for contempt of court after he refused to testify before the Zondo Commission.
However, he only served three months in jail and was released on medical parole.
He was later granted a remission of sentence authorised by Ramaphosa after the courts found his parole release was unlawful.
"The remission was generalised remission, it was not specific to him. When I took the decision, it was not specifically aimed at the former president Jacob Zuma, it was a broad decision that affected many other people that needed a remission and it has been done so that we can reduce the numbers of people in our prisons. I don't regret that decision," he said.
The decision we took was a generalised remission to address overcrowding in our prisons, it was not specific to individuals. pic.twitter.com/AUV1iOon7C
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) April 13, 2024
Ramaphosa addressed the media on the sidelines of his election campaign in Cosmo City in Johannesburg, Gauteng on Saturday.
During the campaign trail, he also defended the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), which is now facing criticism from Zuma's MKP.
He said it was true that the IEC was involved in politics, stating that the commission is constitutionally a non-political organisation.
"The commission is independent and we must defend independence, just as we should defend the independence of our courts," he stated.
This comes after the IEC asked the Electoral Court to urgently release reasons why former president Jacob Zuma is back on the ballot paper.
Last week Tuesday, the court ruled that Zuma will contest the 2024 national and provincial elections under the MKP.
He is the number one on the list of candidates for the MKP to Parliament.
Zuma is currently campaigning for Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, which has so far gained momentum. MKP is said to be one of the most beloved parties across the country.
MKP was registered on September 7, 2023, by Jabulani Khumalo and was officially launched by Zuma on December 16, 2023, in Soweto, Johannesburg.
Furthermore, Ramaphosa called on citizens not to be distracted by all what is happening and focus on the elections.
"It is up to us all to ensure that this year’s election is a success in our ongoing journey of democratic consolidation. It is up to us all, whether as government, political parties, candidates, voters, the media or civil society organisations, to play our part by ensuring that our actions and words inspire faith in our democracy," he said.
IOL Politics