The 79-year old began medical parole in September and is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court after he ignored instructions to participate in a corruption inquiry.

In the same month, South Africa’s top court dismissed a bid by him to overturn the sentence.

The legal processes against Zuma for alleged corruption during his nine-year reign are widely viewed as a test of post-apartheid South Africa’s ability to enforce rule of law, particularly against powerful, well-connected people.

Zuma handed himself in on July 7 to begin his prison sentence, triggering the worst violence South Africa had seen in years, as angry Zuma supporters took to the streets.

The protests widened into looting and an outpouring of general anger over the hardship and inequality that persisted 27 years after the end of apartheid.

More than 300 people were killed and thousands of businesses were pillaged and razed.

The Department of Correctional Services said it was studying the judgement, and in due course, would make further pronouncements.

Source: Reuters/NAN

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However, the judge stayed the warrant until his corruption trial resumes on May 6.

Zuma’s lawyer presented the judge with a sick note from what he said was a military hospital, but the judge questioned whether the note was valid or even written by a doctor.

The former leader of Africa’s most industrialised country is on trial for corruption charges over a $2 billion arms deal with French defence firm Thales in the 1990s.

Zuma, president from 2009-2018, had previously applied for a permanent stay of prosecution on 18 charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to the deal, but the court in Pietermaritzburg threw out his appeal in November.

Zuma is accused of accepting 500,000 rand (34,000 dollars ) annually from Thales in 1999, in exchange for protecting the company from an investigation into the deal.

He rejects the allegations as a politically motivated witch-hunt against him.

Source: Reuters/NAN

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A statement issued in Owerri by Mr. Chibuike Onyeukwu, the chief press secretary to the governor, stated that Ihedioha announced the re-christening at an occasion to mark Amaechi’s 90th birthday in Owerri.

Recall that the naming of the dual carriage way after the former South African president by former governor, Rochas Okorocha, attracted public opprobrium against the administration.

In a speech, Ihedioha described Mbazuluike Amaechi as an icon, whose contributions to nation building should not be ignored.

“Dr Amaechi is an icon, one of the founding fathers of the nation, whose contributions to nationhood should not be overlooked.

“Amaechi remains an inspiration, who stood and defended those principles that remain valuable to nation building,” the statement further read.

Amaechi, a native of Ukpor in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra, was a member of the House of Representatives in 1959.

The nonagenarian was later appointed the Minister of Aviation and Transport in 1962.

According to the statement, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was stated to have prayed God to grant the Imo governor the strength to live up to the expectations of the people of Imo.

Obasanjo was quoted to have said that with Ihedioha’s wealth of experience as a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, he was well equipped to govern the state successfully.

“I believe that God, who made you governor of Imo this time, will give you the knowledge to do what needs to be done for Imo to make it one of the leading states in the country.

“While congratulating you on your electoral victory, I pray the Almighty God to enable you to govern well.

“Having eminently served as Deputy Speaker, you are eminently qualified to make Imo State one of the best states.

“You have to bring to bear your wealth of knowledge and extensive contact to the service of Imo and South-East,” the statement added.

The statement also quoted the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dr John Nwodo, to have said that Ihedioha portended “hope and a new beginning for the Igbo nation” with his quality leadership.

“We have a governor who is humble, experienced and not afraid to appoint people with more academic accomplishments than him or those who have more exposure in governance than him,” it quoted Nwodo to have also said.

Source: NAN

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Zuma, ousted by the governing African National Congress, ANC, in February 2018, will be asked to respond to allegations that he allowed cronies to plunder state resources and influence senior government appointments during his nine years in power.

He has consistently denied wrongdoing, saying the allegations against him are politically motivated.

His lawyer said in a letter to the inquiry last month that Zuma believed it was prejudiced against him.

Zuma is expected to give evidence from Monday to Friday, testimony that will be broadcast live on South African television to millions of viewers.

It is a rare example of an African leader being brought to book soon after losing power.

Zuma, 77, has also been in court on several occasions over the past year to answer corruption charges linked to a deal to buy military hardware for the armed forces in the 1990s.

He set up the corruption inquiry in his final weeks in office under pressure from rivals in the ANC, including his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, who feared scandals surrounding Zuma could tarnish the party’s reputation indelibly.

Zuma had avoided establishing the inquiry since a 2016 report by the country’s anti-corruption watchdog, the public protector, instructed him to do so to investigate allegations that three Gupta brothers had been able to influence ministerial appointments and had won state contracts improperly.

The Gupta family, business friends of Zuma, denied the accusations and left South Africa around the time that Zuma was ousted.

Ramaphosa, Zuma’s former deputy, has made sweeping personnel changes in government and state-owned companies as part of an effort to curb corruption and revive the stagnant economy.

However, he has been hampered by the lingering influence that Zuma and his allies exert over the ANC’s top decision-making bodies, as well as by the scale of the problems he inherited.

The inquiry, headed by South Africa’s deputy chief justice, Raymond Zondo, held its first hearing in August and is due to finish next year.

Source:  Reuters

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