For example, he said, the “Station Strangler” Norman Simons, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1995, was housed in a separate building in a single cell at Drakenstein Prison for his own safety from the prison population.
“My guess is they will detain him [Zuma] in a hospital cell or in a hospital section. He is not a young man anymore. He may or may not have health issues. And he has to be protected against Covid-19 infection.
“The department has a general obligation to ensure safe custody. If something were to happen to him it would be a very difficult situation to explain.”
Muntingh said because Zuma received a sentence of less than 24 months, he would be entitled to parole after serving a quarter of his sentence. That would be in October this year.
“I would think the department would want to get rid of him quickly,” he said.
Criminal advocate Paul Jorgensen described the Constitutional Court’s ruling as “bold”.
He said Zuma had no legal options now.
“The Constitutional Court has ruled and that’s it. There is nowhere to appeal. His lawyers could bring some sort of application regarding his health, but it would have to go back to the Constitutional Court and I don’t think that is realistic.”