- Correctional services say they are unable to predict a discharge date for former president Jacob Zuma.
- He was jailed in the Estcourt Correctional Centre last month for ignoring a court order that compelled him to appear before the State Capture Inquiry.
- Zuma had a surgical procedure on Saturday and has other procedures planned.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) says it is unable to predict a discharge date for former president Jacob Zuma, who was admitted to an outside hospital earlier this month.
He is currently serving a 15-month prison sentence in the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal for contempt of court.
Department spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said Zuma had undergone a surgical procedure on Saturday, "with other procedures scheduled for the coming days".
"As a result, DCS is unable to predict a discharge date as our priority at this stage is for Mr Zuma to be afforded the best care possible," he said.
"As inmates are placed in correctional centres involuntarily, the state has a total and inescapable responsibility and duty to care for them in a manner that does not violate or compromise their constitutional rights, which include access to health care."
Nxumalo appealed for people to refrain from speculating on Zuma's health "and allow medical practitioners space to continue providing quality healthcare to him".
A high-level military doctor recently told prison and prosecuting authorities that Zuma had suffered a "traumatic injury" late last year, and now needed "extensive emergency treatment" and six months of care to restore his health, News24 reported earlier.
We want to hear your views on the news. Subscribe to News24 to be part of the conversation in the comments section of this article.