Minutes before midnight, Jacob Zuma’s foundation announced: ‘Dear South Africans and the World. Please be advised that President Zuma has decided to comply with the incarceration order.’
The large and modern correctional facility, situated in Macfarlane Street, will temporarily house inmates, imprisoned in KZN that are suspected of having Covid-19.
Thus far KZN has no inmates that have tested positive.
Estcourt Correctional Centre is a modern rehabilitation facility for offenders who are serving sentences longer than 24 months.
Glencoe acting Area Commissioner Thembi Buthelezi said offenders will be transferred to Estcourt in phases.
The motorcade arrived at the recently refurbished “state-of-the-art” Estcourt Correctional Centre at about 1.20 am.
At 2 am, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) issued a statement confirming Zuma had been admitted.
“Mr. Zuma will be taken through all the admission processes as per DCS regulations. Other relevant prescripts pertaining to admitting and orientating newly incarcerated persons will also be followed and executed.
“Details about the appropriate classification, prerogatives and incarceration conditions can only be determined at the completion of the assessment process to be undertaken by relevant authorities within the employ of DCS.
“Keeping inmates in safe and secure custody remains cardinal to Correctional Services and we remain committed to this cause.”
The possibility of an arrest had left many South Africans teetering on the edge of their seats for the past eight days.
On Tuesday last week, the apex court found the 79-year-old in contempt of its order earlier in the year that he appears before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
He was subsequently sentenced to 15 months of direct imprisonment.
The new prison consists of two units, with a capacity to accommodate 512 inmates.
It also has a hospital section, training center, maintenance workshop, logistics, and other support structures.
“There is also a state-of-the-art residential facility for officials,” he said.
Masutha added that the extra bed spaces created would help bring down occupation levels in centers and alleviate overcrowding.
“The occupation levels of sentenced and awaiting-trial offenders in KwaZulu-Natal alone, stand at 131.05% as of April 1, 2019, in terms of the report from the National Overcrowding Task Team,” he said.
