South Africa’s top court sentences ex-President Jacob Zuma

The former president made one appearance at the inquiry into what has become known as “state capture” but then refused to appear subsequently.

Acting Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe was damning in her ruling. Mr Zuma refused to come to the court to explain his actions, she said, and he “elected instead to make provocative, unmeritorious and vituperative statements that constituted a calculated effort to impugn the integrity of the judiciary.

“I am left with no option but to commit Mr Zuma to imprisonment, with the hope that doing so sends an unequivocal message… the rule of law and the administration of justice prevails.”

The former president was not in court to hear the majority ruling and has repeatedly declared that he was the victim of a giant political conspiracy.

This jail sentence marks a dramatic turning point for a man who was last in prison half a century ago, for his role in South Africa’s liberation struggle, the BBC’s Andrew Harding says.

In a separate legal matter, Mr Zuma pleaded not guilty last month in his corruption trial involving a $5bn (£3bn) arms deal from the 1990s. (BBC)