The Former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, has being admitted in an hospital for routine medical observation, ahead of graft trial on Friday.

The Department of correctional service in a statement confirmed this.

“Can confirm that President Jacob Zuma has today, 6 August 2021, has been admitted to an outside hospital for medical observation”, the statement reads.

Zuma began a 15 month jail sentence in a correctional facility in Est Court in KwaZulu-Natal province almost a month ago.

Obinwannem News had earlier reported “Ex South African President Zuma surrenders to face the law”.

Zuma, 79 is scheduled for a continual court trial for alleged corruption and money laundering on August 10. He began serving the jail terms on July 8, however the proceedings have been postponed for more than a decade sparking accusation of delayed tactics.

The hospitalization comes days after the pieterinaritzburg High Court issued a directive that an in person housing involving the president would be heard in an open court rather than virtually.

Consequently, a statement dated August 6, 2021 on Twitter by the correctional service department says the Healthcare needs of the former president, “require the involvement of the South African military Health Services, a routine observation prompted that Mr Zuma be taken for in- hospitalization.

Ijeoma Njoku reporting, Obinwannem News / August 6, 2021