Mr Zuma's lawyers called on the Pietermaritzburg High Court in KwaZulu-Natal province to stop the order made last week by the country's highest court, the Constitutional Court, that police must arrest Mr Zuma by midnight on Wednesday after he was sentenced last week to 15 months in prison for contempt of court. Mr Zuma's lawyers argued that the court should stop the police from arresting him until the Constitutional Court rules on his application to rescind the sentence, which will be heard on July 12. Over the weekend, hundreds of Mr Zuma's supporters had gathered outside his homestead in the rural area of Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal, vowing to prevent any attempts to arrest him. The ANC's National Executive Committee said it deplored the “counter-revolutionary calls for violence and even civil war, parading of armed groups and flagrant display of weapons” outside Mr Zuma's home. By Tuesday the crowds supporting Mr Zuma had dispersed just a few of Mr Zuma's supporters stood at the entrance to his home.

Source: The Hindu July 06, 2021 21:52 UTC