A warrant of arrest has been issued for former President Jacob Zuma who was due to appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday.
However, the National Prosecuting Authority said it would not be executed pending Zuma's next court date on the 6th of May.
Earlier the NPA said it was aware that the former President was not well but the State said it did not get any answers when it made further enquiries with Zuma's lawyer, Daniel Mantsha.
NPA national spokesperson, Bulelwa Mateke, explained that "In terms of section 170 of the Criminal Procedure Act, if an accused does not appear in court when they are required to without any justifiable reason being given, then they are issued a warrant of arrest."
She said, "The court has actually granted this warrant of arrest but it has stayed until the next court date which is the 6th of May, so if he does not appear, on the said date, the warrant of arrest will be issued."
Senior state prosecutor Advocate Billy Downer told the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday that the state was seeking a warrant of arrest for former state president Jacob Zuma.
Downer made the request because Zuma had not submitted a medical certificate nor let the state know what the alleged illness was that kept him from proceedings on Tuesday.
Downer said the state had been made aware of the former president’s absence from Tuesday’s hearing in good time, but follow-up correspondence to his lawyer Daniel Mantsha regarding a medical certificate and the nature of Zuma’s illness had received no response.
Additional reporting by ANA
