He said Zuma was not allocated a prison cell after his fingerprints were taken, which is the usual process during arrest.
“The remission was already in motion.”
Justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola said the release of Zuma and other inmates was accelerated to “alleviate” overcrowding in prisons after a fire recently broke out at Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Facility in Limpopo.
Responding to speculation the Estcourt facility had three open beds and was not overcrowded, Thobakgale said: “The overall system is overcrowded.”
He told Sunday Times it was not a mockery of the SCA judgment that Zuma returned to jail and was out after 90 minutes.
“No. The order was explicit. He needs to be returned to the facility and admitted to serve the rest of his sentence. That's exactly what happened.
“For us not to process him through the remission process would have been breaking the law. If there was no process of remission, he would now be at Estcourt correctional facility. But that process was already in motion.”
Zuma was not aware he would be granted remission of sentence: commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale
Image: SANDILE NDLOVU
Former president Jacob Zuma was as surprised as opposition political parties when he was granted a remission of sentence last week.
According to correctional services commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale, Zuma was not aware he would be granted the special remission.
The former president reported to Estcourt prison and was released within 90 minutes after the effecting of a “remission process”.
Speaking to JJ Tabane on eNCA, Thobakgale said President Cyril Ramaphosa approved the remission the day before Zuma reported to the Estcourt facility.
“I knew the night before and did not tell him [Zuma] because I was only there [at Zuma's homestead] to deliver the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment. He became aware [of the remission] at the time we were processing him [in prison],” Thobakgale said.
Zuma benefiting from his own policy? Remission of sentence and to whom it's granted explained
He said Zuma was not allocated a prison cell after his fingerprints were taken, which is the usual process during arrest.
“The remission was already in motion.”
Justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola said the release of Zuma and other inmates was accelerated to “alleviate” overcrowding in prisons after a fire recently broke out at Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Facility in Limpopo.
Responding to speculation the Estcourt facility had three open beds and was not overcrowded, Thobakgale said: “The overall system is overcrowded.”
He told Sunday Times it was not a mockery of the SCA judgment that Zuma returned to jail and was out after 90 minutes.
“No. The order was explicit. He needs to be returned to the facility and admitted to serve the rest of his sentence. That's exactly what happened.
“For us not to process him through the remission process would have been breaking the law. If there was no process of remission, he would now be at Estcourt correctional facility. But that process was already in motion.”
TimesLIVE
READ MORE:
Q&A with correctional services national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale on Zuma's release
The joke's on us - we helped create this mess
Remission 'caught Zuma insiders off guard'
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