Former South African President Jacob Zuma Hospitalised

Former South African president Jacob Zuma is receiving medical treatment in hospital, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday, confirming reports that the 84-year-old had been admitted to a clinic earlier this week.

Zuma, who served as president from 2009 to 2018, was admitted to a medical facility in Pietermaritzburg, in eastern South Africa, on Wednesday, according to local media reports.

“President Jacob Zuma has not been well and he has now been put under treatment by doctors,” Ramaphosa told reporters in remarks carried by national broadcaster SABC.

Ramaphosa said the military surgeon general had been briefed on Zuma’s condition and wished the former president a speedy recovery.

“We wish him a very quick recovery and we want him to be well, and up, and continuing to serve the people of South Africa in whichever way,” he said.

Zuma’s party, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), said in a statement that he was undergoing a routine check-up but did not provide further details.

“We hereby confirm that he is healthy and in good spirits,” the party said.

A key figure in the struggle against apartheid, Zuma became president in 2009. He resigned in 2018 after mounting pressure from his African National Congress party, which had withdrawn its support for him.

He returned to the political spotlight in 2024 when the MKP, formed only months before the national elections, finished third and drew support away from the ANC.

SOURCE: AFP