POLL | Should Zuma be allowed to visit casinos and other public places while under parole?

Former president Jacob Zuma being spotted at a casino has given rise to strong reactions from many online. 

Zuma, who is under medical parole, was spotted at Sibaya Casino near Durban last Friday with his allies, including former SAA chair Dudu Myeni.

According to a Sunday Times report, Zuma was caught on camera in public for the first time since being granted parole after being sentenced to 15 months in prison for ignoring a Constitutional Court order.

The Sunday Times received a tip-off that Zuma was holding a “meeting” at the casino owned by his friend, Durban businessman Vivian Reddy.

Zuma was placed on medical parole last month after the department of correctional services received a medical report on the former president’s health.

Correctional services commissioner Arthur Fraser admitted he had overruled a recommendation that Zuma not be granted parole.

Zuma is completing the remainder of his 15-month prison sentence in a “system of community corrections”.

In June Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for contempt of court and incarcerated at the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal. He was handed the sentence by the Constitutional Court after failing to appear at the state capture inquiry.

Department of correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said Zuma’s casino visit was above board.

He said Zuma made a request to leave his residence to be in another town and this was approved by his monitoring official.

“We can confirm Mr Jacob Zuma made a request to leave his residence to be in another town and this was approved by his monitoring official. We can therefore confirm permission was granted. This is in line with his parole conditions,” said Nxumalo. 

He said Zuma was permitted to leave his Nkandla compound as long as “he reports his whereabouts and approval must be granted. Then he can move”.

Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla slammed criticism over her father being seen in public, saying he was “not under house arrest” and that people are not “privy to his parole conditions”.