According to News24, a warrant of arrest has been issued against former president Jacob Zuma, but will not be executed before he is due to appear in court in May.
News reports say his absence was allegedly linked to illness. The KwaZulu-Natal High Courts Judge Dhaya Pillay, in Pietermaritzburg, reportedly complied with a request to issue a warrant of arrest for Zuma for non-attendance at his corruption trial on Tuesday morning.
TimesLive reported, Zuma’s lawyer, Daniel Mantsha, submitted a sick note from a military hospital where he said Zumas was being treated. Judge Pillay refused to accept the note as there were believed to be inconsistencies in it.
The warrant of arrest, as reported by News24, will only be in effect once Zuma fails to make his court appearance in May 2020. Criminal law expert James Grant told News24, this will force law enforcement to arrest him.
As long as Zuma presents himself at his next court date, there will be no arrests made to present him to court.
