The SCA reversed the high court’s order that the time Zuma spent on medical parole should not be counted as part of his sentence. At the same time, the SCA emphasized that Zuma's position prior to his parole will be reinstated.
"Mr Zuma, in law, has not finished serving his sentence. He must return to the Estcourt Correctional Centre to do so," the SCA ruled, South African online newspaper TimesLIVE reported.
Zuma still has an opportunity to appeal the SCA’s order to the Constitutional Court, which could put the Supreme Court’s ruling on hold for the time being, according to the newspaper.
Zuma began serving his prison sentence in the summer of 2021. The ex-president was sentenced to 15 months in jail for failing to show up at an inquiry into corruption during his time in office. In early September 2021, the South African government's department of correctional services reported that Zuma’s parole had been impelled by a medical report without providing any details about the nature of his illness.