Zuma to know his fate on Friday as ConCourt rules on his bid to rescind contempt sentence

South Africans will know on Friday whether the jail sentence handed down to former president Jacob Zuma should be set aside.

At the end of June, the Constitutional Court sentenced Zuma to 15 months behind bars for contempt of court, after he refused to attend the state capture commission despite the apex court ordering him to do so.

Zuma then made a rescission application to the court. Although an order of the Constitutional Court may not be appealed, the rules of the ConCourt incorporate some rules of the Uniform Rules of Court, which apply to all other courts.

Rule 42 says a court may “rescind or vary an order or judgment erroneously sought or erroneously granted in the absence of any party affected thereby”.

In a tweet on Thursday, the court said its decision in Zuma’s application will be made at 10am on Friday.

“Judgment on Friday September 17 … Is the judgment and order of the Constitutional Court, sentencing former president Zuma to imprisonment for contempt of court, rescindable? And should it be set aside?” the court said on its official Twitter account.

Source: TimesLIVE